Human-caused water crisis with climate change
What you should know
The Chisang river flowing through Kanepokhari Bazaar in Morang, which is connected with the East-West highway, is dry at the moment. Locals say that this river has been running out of water for several years. "It has been a long time since water stopped flowing in this river," remembers 70-year-old Sukumaya Rai, who lives on the Chisang bank. Now it is drying up.
A 400-meter long two-lane bridge has recently been constructed over the Khadam river on the Madan Bhandari highway connecting Dharan via Kerabari. However, water does not flow in the river. The bridge was built because it was difficult to cross the river. Most of the rivers, streams and small ponds around the highway at various places in the east through Morang, Sunsari, Udaipur, Jhapa are dry during the rainy season. ``In the old days, even when it didn't rain, the river flowed gurgling,'' recalls 80-year-old Ram Bahadur Rai of Kerabari, ``now the river has started drying up. Earlier, the land used to absorb water, but now the river itself has been dug up by using dozers, and that's why it seems that the river has started to dry up.' But now that river is dry. "The mung bean fields that came up during the first rains are now passable by walking," she says, "There is no water in the river, it was dry at the time of planting rice." There is no rain from the sky, nor is there hope for a river.'
Chure expert Vijaykumar Singh Danuwar says that human-caused water crisis has started with climate change. "The water crisis has arisen due to human encroachment, indiscriminate mining, forest destruction and settlement expansion," he said. "Drying up the ditch is not a normal situation, it is a sign of a serious imbalance in the water cycle," he said.
Vice President of Kerabari Rural Municipality Manmaya Magar says that she will soon start an investigation into the cause of drying up of the river in her municipality. "The river has not dried up only in Kerabari, it is a problem all over the country," she said.
Last June, a team of Betna Wetland Management Committee in Morang Belbari sent a letter to the Ministry of Tourism, Forestry and Environment of Koshi Province and requested an investigation as the Betna Wetland started drying up. However, even after months have passed, the ministry has not started the study. Harishankar Jha, environment officer of the Ministry of Tourism, Forests and Environment of Koshi Province, said that there is a plan to form a team to study Betna Wetlands soon.
