The construction of 'settling basin’ of the Nepal Gandak West Canal Irrigation Project in West Nawalparasi has been completed and brought into operation.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Dipak Khadka and Member of Parliament from the region Binod Chaudhary jointly inaugurated the basin at a programme organised by the Nepal Gandak West Canal Irrigation Management Office in Semri, Nawalparasi on Monday.

According to a press statement of his secretariat, Minister Khadka said that he is committed to solving the flooding and irrigation problems faced by the citizens of West Nawalparasi.

“MP from this region Chaudhary had told me before coming to this programme that embankments should be built on the six rivers here, and that sufficient budget is required for that. The government is serious about this,” he said.

Minister Khadka said that this is his second visit to West Nawalparasi after becoming a minister and that he is familiar with the problems here.

On the occasion, Binod Chaudhary, a member of the House of Representatives elected from West Nawalparasi-1, said that farmers will benefit as the canal will now provide irrigation facilities to five times more land than before.

“I am satisfied to see the happiness on the faces of the farmers of Nawalparasi after the arrangements were made for the canal to be fully operational. The citizens of this place had to endure struggle for 35 years for irrigation. The pain associated with you has now been addressed," he said.

MP Chaudhary also urged Minister Khadka to find a long-term solution by allocating the necessary budget to solve the problem of flooding in the region.

The settling basin of the Nepal Gandak Western Canal was completed in two and a half years at a cost of Rs. 350 million.

Although the canal, built in 2039 BS, has an irrigation capacity of 8,700 hectares of land, it was only irrigated at 20 per cent of its capacity due to the problem of sand accumulation at the source.

After the settling basin came into operation, sand will no longer enter the canal and irrigation facilities will be available for 8,700 hectares of land.