Locals said that the problem had come to the fore due to increasing number of streams stemming from the deforestation of the forest caused by rise in squatter settlements and timber smuggling.

According to local Basu Koirala of Nipane, floods in the rivers and streams in the rainy season have been eroding the lands and turning them into riverside. Owing to the problem, farmers living in more than a dozen VDCs, including Ranibas, Nipane, Harshahi, Tandi, and Hatpate in Kamalakhonch and Kalbriksha, Kapilakot, Kyaneshwor, Dandiguranse, and Mahadevsthan in Marin are “seriously affected”.

“If we fail to take timely precaution, it won’t be long before all the alluvial lands in the area are eroded by streams,” Koirala said.

Moreover, locals said that more than 100 streams have formed in Kamalakhonch area alone over the past couple of years. They said that about 7,000 hectares of alluvial land had become useless due to the sand deposits by the streams. Meanwhile, assistant technician at the VDC, Heramba Raj Adhikari said that none of the concerned agencies had any record on how many hectares of land had been affected by the process. While Ram Prasad Danuwar of Ranibas, a victim of the erosions, lamented that after the streams eroded about 1.4 hectares of his land, he had been farming on a leased land.

Meanwhile, since landlords have turned landless in the area due to erosions caused by the streams, deforestation has infact increased. In Chandanpur, Ranibas locals have made a settlement by cutting down the trees and things are no different in Marin. According to DFO data, the area covered by forests in Chure hills is 112,631 hectares. While the government owns 100,000 hectares, the remaining have been distributed to communities. According to the DFO, 3,383 hectares of land covered by forests in the lower region of Chure hills have already been destroyed.