Dhangadhi, Dec 27: Minister for Energy Shakti Bahadur Basnet has said that embankment along with excavation in Karnali river is irrelevant.
During an inspection of national pride project Ranijamara Kulariya Irrigation Project on Tuesday, the PM said that excavation of the river produces is the main reason behind the poor embankment.
“The risk of Karnali river is not lowered due to the failure to preserve investment of billions of rupees. For this, the excavation should be done only by meeting its standards,” Minister Basnet added.
The Minister’s such statements have come in the backdrop that the embankment made by the project in the river collapses every year in the flooding season. This has happened in the areas of Tikapur Municipality and Janaki Rural Municipality in Kailali district.
Saying that the embankment was not successful to control the river-induced damages, Minister Basnet shared that efforts are ongoing to explore alternative to the embankment construction.
On the occasion, Minister Basnet directed the officials for timely completion of the irrigation project. Likewise, he said that the government was preparing to run Lower Karnali Hydropower Project and added that the State could take a huge benefit from the Karnali river.
