Crumbling dams put six Uttar Pradesh villages at flood risk from Nepal

Dams on the Rapti River in Uttar Pradesh's Sravasti district are in a dangerously dilapidated state, leaving half a dozen villages teetering on the brink of disaster as floodwaters surge from Nepal. The protective embankments built along the river have been breached at multiple locations, and residents fear that any fresh deluge could wipe their settlements off the map.

Sravasti, which borders Nepal, is facing an acute threat as the Rapti River swells following torrential rains and devastating floods in the Himalayan foothills. Villages including Mishrapurwa, Madhwapur, and Sarra are directly in the path of potential destruction. Earlier in the day, the Rapti's water level was flowing 30 centimeters above the danger mark of 127.70 centimeters, though it receded to 50 centimeters below the critical threshold by 4 pm. Yet the respite offers little comfort to villagers who have watched the protective dams crumble year after year.

Balai, a local resident, voiced the community's anguish, saying the embankments are broken in many places and if water levels rise again in Nepal, their villages will not survive. "If a strong current comes, Mishrapurwa, Madhwapur, and Sarra will be completely wiped out. We are living in fear day and night, but no one is coming to help us," he said.

Residents accuse the district's flood control and irrigation departments of remaining asleep at the wheel despite the looming catastrophe. While the district administration claims it is preparing at a war footing, ground realities paint a starkly different picture. The Rapti brings devastation to these border areas every monsoon, yet the broken dams remain unrepaired.

For communities that have endured flood tragedies year after year, the fear is neither new nor unfounded. They know that when the waters come, they leave only ruin behind. But for now, local officials appear to believe that all is well.