The flooded Mahakali River has eroded 25 to 30 meters of embankment and swept away gabion boxes filled with stones in Bhimdatta Municipality-11, Kanchanpur.

Mahakali Tole residents say, “they live in fear” and “spend sleepless nights” with the threat of floods looming on their settlement.

In the last week of June, the flooded river swept away a spur of the embankment at Odali in Bhimdatta Municipality-12.

After the Indian authority opened the dam gates of Dhauliganga Hydroelectric Project in Dharcula on Thursday, a large volume of water cascaded downwards.

The Indian side usually opens the dam gates whenever there is heavy rainfall on the higher altitudes of the region.

Local resident Narendra Rana said the swollen river hit the embankment hard and eroded large sections on Friday. It also swept away gabions, boxes filled with stones and sand to control soil erosion. The pressure created by the floods has damaged the embankment spur, he said.

On Thursday, the water level of the river reached 140,000 cusec. The Area Police Office in Gaddachowki said the water level has raised alarmingly due to heavy rains in the hill districts.

According to the People’s Embankment Programme, the embankment was constructed four years ago. Engineer of the project Mahadev Bista said they have informed the contractor to repair the embankment as soon as possible. The contractor has started to fix gabion boxes in the area, he said.

Engineer Bista said that Chaukisota of Zero point, Mahakali Tole of Bhimdatta-11 and Jholunge Pul area of Mahakali-11 are at a high risk of eroding this year. “We are constructing spurs and revetments there,” he said. However, the embankment could hold 400,000 to 500,000 cusec of water flow now, but, if the flow of the river will be one-sided, there could be threat, said Bista.