By Xinhua,
Kathmandu : Irate Nepalis threatened to resort to protests after the Indian government, according to their claims, failed to provide them with water from the Gandak canal as stated in an agreement, local newspaper The Rising Nepal reported on Monday.
Gandak canal was constructed by India, with water flowing from and through Nawalparasi district of Nepal, some 110 km southwest of Nepali capital Kathmandu, to north India.
Nepali farmers have claimed that contrary to the agreement signed before, India has been giving only 104 cusecs of water instead of 300, the newspaper said.
Several weeks ago, the Indian authorities had agreed to provide300 cusecs of water. India has been drawing Narayani River water from the east and west Gandak canals to irrigate farmlands in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar of north India.
“The Indian authorities had agreed to provide said volume of water but they have not lived up to their promise,” Haidar Ali Memin, Nepali Gandak Irrigation Consumers Committee coordinator said.
Memin warned that the locals from 15 different Village Development Committees (VDCs) would be forced to wage a fresh round of stir against India’s highhandedness. He said that the Indian government was allocating only 150 cusecs of water and it was not sufficient for locals.
“The Indian authorities have not kept their promise leaving the farmers of 15 VDCs out in the lurch, the farmers have not been able to carry out their rice plantation in the absence of adequate water for preparing and irrigating the fields,” Memin added.
Nepali Gandak Canal Agitation Committee Secretary Prem Chandra Gupta said that the Indian officials were deceiving the Nepali farmers, claiming that the water level in the canal is lower than the required level.
The Indian authorities have been denying the promised share of water to the Nepali farmers, Gupta said.
As per the information provided by Gupta the Indian government has been collecting over 440 million Nepali rupees (around 6.4 million U.S. dollars) revenue from the water it has been diverting through the canal via Nepali territory. Th Gandak Canal flows via Nepalese land but the fertile land of its Nawalparasi district is still devoid of adequate irrigation facilities.
Memin said that the Indian government had agreed with the Nawalparasi District Administration Office to spend 25 percent of its revenue for Nepal’s development activities — like education, transport, health and flood disasters management.
“They signed the agreement but are not implementing it. Hence the Nepalese farmers are being deprived from the aforementioned facilities,” Memin said.