The district authority in Nawalparasi on Sunday opened the gates of the Gandak Canal after the landslide at Ramche in Myagdi district blocked the Kali Gandaki river in the wee hours of Sunday.
According to Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), Chief District Officer of Nawalparasi, Hari Prasad Mainali, said that all the 36 doors of the Gandak Canal were opened to prevent the sudden bursting of the blocked river. The district authorities fear that if the sudden flow of Kali Gandaki, a tributary of Ganga river, added to the swelling of Narayani river, the region could be submerged. Gandak Canal is a joint irrigation and power project between India and Nepal. Mr. Mainali said that authorities in neighbouring India have also been informed as the impact could be felt in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh of India.
The Nepal Army personnel who have been deployed to clear the blockade on the river at Ramche in Myagdi – where the landslides occurred – were unable to do their work due to continuous landslides, officials said. According to Nepal Police, they are trying to reopen the blocked Beni-Jomsom road, besides trying to unclog Kali Gandaki.
