Construction of embankments is in full swing in Susta, which faces annual threats from erosion by the Narayani river.

Narayan Subedi, chief of the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Office in Bharatpur and head of the project, said work began in the second week of March at a cost of around Rs140 million. The project is scheduled for completion by June.

Subedi said work is being carried out day and night to complete the high-risk project within a short timeframe. “The time is short, but the work must be completed within this period,” he said. “On the very day I was transferred to Chitwan, I reported to the site in Susta. If the embankment is not completed before the monsoon, the risk of Susta being swept away increases.”

He said he reached the site with excavators, the contractor and office staff on the same day the agreement was signed. Around 175 labourers are deployed daily, while 50 tractors transport stones to the riverbanks to fill wire crates, or gabion netting, to control the river.

The embankment is being constructed along a stretch of about a kilometre northeast of the Susta suspension bridge. Office staff have been stationed near the site to monitor progress and maintain quality. Work is being carried out for 10 to 12 hours daily to meet the deadline, with continuous supervision from project officials.

Sarita Dawadi, secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, recently conducted a field inspection.

“We are under pressure to complete Rs140 million worth of work within roughly 90 days,” he said. “As the budget was released late, the timeframe after completing procedures became very tight.”

Susta has 417 households and a population of around 3,600. The settlement faces recurring risks of erosion and inundation during the monsoon as the Narayani river floods, washing away land and submerging areas.

A Village Panchayat (local administrative unit) until 1977, Susta has been reduced to a ward of a local unit as repeated erosion and flooding washed away much of its land. The area, which borders India, has also faced encroachment from across the border.

Chief District Officer Deepak Nepal, Nawalparasi West district coordination committee chief Bhagauti Yadav and Susta Rural Municipality chair Tek Narayan Upadhyaya inspected the site two days ago.

Nepal said the project shows that large-scale work can be completed within a short period with coordination among agencies. “The embankment work in Susta is set to demonstrate that such projects can be completed within 90 days in Nepal,” he said, adding that both the ministry and local administration have prioritised it.

In January, then-minister for water resources Kulman Ghising had arranged the allocation of Rs140 million during a visit to Susta to address river erosion. Local residents had briefed him on the situation and facilitated a field inspection.

“He immediately directed the ministry to release funds from the emergency budget for Susta, and the current work began on that basis,” said local resident Munsi Harijan. “A significant amount of work is being carried out here at a rapid pace within a short period.”