Nepal and India have agreed on flood management and control in rivers originating in Nepal and reaching to the Ganges river basin and others.

In a recent meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Committee on Inundation and Flood Management (JCIFM) held in Kathmandu, both the sides agreed to expedite works related to flood control and inundation, according to a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

Besides some field visits to the ongoing and proposed embankment and flood protection works along the Kamala, Bagmati and Lalbakeya rivers, the meeting also reviewed the action taken as per the decision of the seventh meeting of the JCIFM held in Kathmandu last year.

The meeting also reviewed ongoing works on Kamala, Bagmati and Lalbakeya rivers and discussed flood inundation issues, flood forecasting issues and comprehensive joint strategy for flood management.

India has been providing assistance to Nepal for strengthening and extending embankments along Lalbakeya, Bagmati, Kamala and Khado rivers since 2008.

Flood has been a major concern in Nepal since the Koshi river breached its embankments in 2008. 

Utilisation of Nepal’s rivers is crucial for irrigating its farmlands and generating electricity to fuel its economy at a time when the country has been tackling 12 hours of power outage daily.