Both Nepal and India have done little to address flooding along the border, officials say

By Anil Giri and Suresh Raj Neupane

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Sheetal Babu Regmi, a former water resources secretary who was involved in a series of talks with India, said governments on both sides have never been serious about addressing the long-standing problem of flooding and inundation in the Tarai region, especially the villages that border India.

“We have a tendency to make tall promises and do nothing,” said Regmi. “India builds structures along the border first and talks later.”

But Regmi was quick to point that the problems exist on the Nepali side of the border as well.“The way we have been building structures in the Tarai--haphazardly and without proper planning--is also creating problems,” said Regmi. “Then when our rivers reach the border, roads and infrastructure on the Indian side create the problem.” Officials, including Regmi, say it’s not that measures have not been taken in the past to address flooding along the border, but unless Nepal and India come up with a joint detailed work plan, inundation will continue to wreak havoc on both sides of the border.

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But a senior Foreign Ministry official in Kathmandu said there has been little progress because the Indian side has repeatedly said it needs budget approval and structural redesign before it can implement [a technical] report prepared by the Nepali side.

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