BARDIYA : Water level in Geruwa River has been decreasing every day as a result of which the aquatic creatures living in the river are in crisis. The Karnali river bifurcated and formed two river streams. But more water has been flowing in the western stream than in Geruwa of eastern side, posing risks to the aquatic animals.
Geruwa River flows through Bardiya National Park. Locals said that the aquatic animals of Geruwa River are in crisis as the water has been flowing in the river in western part. Ayodhya Tharu, who has been guarding the Okhariya Budikuli Irrigation for the past 15 years, said that the water flow of Karnali River in Geruwa has been decreasing in the recent time as people have been extracting riverbed materials excessively from the Karnali River that flows via Satti of Tiakpur and the riverbed materials are piling due to Bardiya National Park.
“Earlier, there used to be less water in Karnali River in Tikapur and more in Geruwa. There has been less water in Geruwa for the past seven years,” he said. Tharu further said that the river has opted the easiest way to flow as no one has removed the riverbed materials accumulated in Geruwa.
He said that the aquatic animals which were found when there was more water in Geruwa River have not been found at present. “We used to be scared to go into the Geruwa River. There used to be crocodile and dolphin among other aquatic animals. Now, there is no crocodile and dolphin among other animals in the river,” he said.
Tharu lamented that the people of almost all the wards of Geruwa Rural Municipality have been facing the problem of elephant and rabbit of the National Park after the decrease in the water level of Geruwa River.
Trader Birbal Shahi said that they have not been able to see dolphin in the Geruwa River for the past many years.
“Army personnel used to patrol the river in a raft around nine years ago. Tourists used to come here via raft to see the dolphin. The place, which was popular as Kothiyaghat Bazaar, has been deserted,” he said. Shahi claimed that there will be no water in the river in the next few years if this tendency continues.
Krishna Prasad Devkota of Shantipur, Geruwa Rural Municipality-4, who had lost his seven bighas of land to the floods in Karnali River in 1983, said that aquatic animals, wild animals and people have been facing the problem due to the decrease in the water level in Geruwa.
Kailash Thaur of the same ward said that wild animals of Bardiya National Park have been easily entering the human settlements and destroying the crops after the decrease in the water level in Geruwa.
Ramkali Shahi, 56, of Dangapur, Geruwa Rural Municipality-4 lost her life in tiger attack a few days back.
Manga Chaudhary also said that the wild animals have been destroying their crops after the decrease in the water level in Geruwa. “We have been facing this kind of problem for the past six, seven years. Not only big animals, animals like rabbits and deer have also been destroying crops in the recent time in the village after the decreased in the water level,” he said.
People of Sonaha Community, who sustain their livelihood by fishing, have been facing a big trouble as the aquatic animals are decreasing in the river. Kallu Sonaha of Geruwa Rural Municipality-6 said that their occupations—fishing and collecting raw gold by filtering sand in the bank of river—are in crisis.
Locals have been left panic stricken after the decrease in the water level, but the concerned agency has not done anything to resolve the problem, he said.
Speaking at the Paani discussion, Buffer Zone Management Committee Chairman Netra Raj Acharya said that he has been doing his best from his side to chalk out the problem. Achary said that a meeting was held with the officials of National Park under his leadership in 2017 to discuss the issue about the decrease in the water level owing to the piling of riverbed materials in the Geruwa River.
During the program, the participants discussed how much riverbed materials should be removed from the river to bring the water flow in its original form, he said. “Technicians said that the riverbed materials equal to 67 square meter should be removed to revert the water flow to its original form. We had submitted a file to the ministry for the same, but to no avail,” he said. The file was submitted during the tenure of then warden of Bardiya National Park Manoj Sah.
Speaking at the program, Assistant Conservation Officer of Bardiya National Park Rajesh Lamsal said that the decrease in the water level has also affected the National Park. “We have been bringing water from Lalmatti area after we felt the scarcity of water. Geruwa area will convert into barren riverbeds if this continues,” he said.
Saying that it will be easier for the National Park to manage the riverbed materials if the area falls under the National Park, he said, “We can urge the department to bring the water flow in its original form in Geruwa River if the local levels and people joined hands to extract the riverbed materials.
Also speaking at the same program, Geruwa Rural Municipality Vice-Chairman Hima Kumari Tharu said that the problem to extract riverbed materials has surfaced as the border of Bardiya National Park and Geruwa Rural Municipality has not been separated.
Thakurbaba Municipality Chief Ghan Narayan Shrestha said that his municipality is the most affected municipality. He said that Rs 1.5 million has already been distributed to 700 wild animal and flood victims.
Shrestha said that temporary settlement is being constructed for the wild animal and flood victims and marginalized people. Saying that the people of Thakurbaba Municipality have been fallen victims to wild animals, he said that a two km strong wall has been constructed at a total cost of Rs 2 million to stop the wild animals from entering the human settlements.
Wild animal victims of Geruwa Rural Municipality, Madhyuban Municipality and Thakurbara Municipality, local representatives, officials of National Park and Buffer Zone and journalists, among others, were present in the program.
During the program, a joint commitment has been made to initiate the process to extract riverbed materials from Geruwa River for the conservation of aquatic animals.
Commitments
- To re-establish the water flow of Karnali to Geruwa by completing the legal process. Attempt will be made to conserve the aquatic biodiversity and to manage the conflict between people and wild animals.
- Initiatives will be taken to provide license to Sonaha Community and others for fishing.
- Everyone will take initiatives to ease the process to provide relief to wild animal victims.
- The role of locals will be made imperative to conserve the biodiversity and will stress on people-oriented conservation.
- Initiatives will be taken to provide relief to the wild animal victims of Alani.
