A border pillar on the Nepal-India border in Kailali district is at risk of being swept away by the Karnali as the river swells due to pre-monsoon rain.

Locals are worried that border pillar No. 701/1 in Shreelanka village, Tikapur Municipality Ward No. 8 could be lost as the river has been eroding its banks following heavy rain in the last few days.

Security personnel deployed at the border said the river was only two meters away from the border pillar on Monday evening. “If this situation continues, the border pillar will be swept away in a couple of days,” said Kamal Timilsina, Superintendent of Police at the Armed Police Force in Kailali.

“We have informed the land survey Office in Kailali about the condition of the border pillar. The pillar can be seen on the GPS map,” said Timalsina.

If the pillar does get swept away, a new one can come up only after a joint survey by both Nepali and Indian officials.

Kailali shares around a 101 kilometer-long border with India. The Mohana and the Karnali have been eroding their banks every year. Timilsina said, “Thirteen border pillars and more than 100 subsidiary border pillars are already missing in the Kailali. On paper, there were 53 main border pillars and 229 minor border pillars along the Nepal-India border area.”

Locals said that the remaining border pillars could also be swept away by the river.

Bhim Mahar, a resident of Tikapur Ward No. 8 said, “The authorities concerned should immediately take initiatives to save the border pillars and our land from erosion.”

Rana Bahadur Rawal, a provincial assembly member of Sudurpaschim Province from Tikapur, inspected the Nepal-India border area recently and took stock of the border pillars. Rana said, “I will inform the provincial assembly about the condition of the border pillars and problems of the border area. We will take initiatives to preserve our border pillars and land,” said Rana.

Because of continuous riverbank erosion and missing border pillars, locals are facing problems identifying their own land plots. Mahar said, “Karnali river has been eroding our land every year. Villagers, whose land plots have been swept away, are facing difficulties to locate their land now.”

Meanwhile, security along the Nepal-India border area has been heightened to stop the movement of people. Chandradev Bhatta, an Armed Police Force inspector in Khakraula, said security personnel have been deployed at the border to stop people’s movement. “We have stopped boats and started surveillance in the area,” said Bhatta.