By Tika Ram Upreti, Jhapa, July 25: The people's embankment programme of Jhapa which is handling works to control the river erosion failed to meet targets.

The field office no. 1 of the programme which has been working to control river erosion works in six rivers flowing through Jhapa district has been able to contrast only a hundred kilometers of embankment since it started works some 11 years ago.

Embankment of a length of 303.36 kilometers of the embankment is to be erected in the Mechi, Biring, Kankai, Kamal, Ratuwa and Mawa rivers in the Jhapa district, according to the DPR. And an amount of Rs. 18 billion is estimated for the construction of the embankment.

Only a third of the target has been completed so far if work performance is compared with the work target as mentioned in the DPR. If this trend continues, it will take another 20 years to complete the work.

Lack of sufficient budget allocation is blamed for the sluggish pace of the embankment construction while flood in the rivers that occur during monsoon sweeps away settlements and paddy fields near the rivers every year.

Puspa Gautam, information officer of the Field Office No. 1 Jhapa of the People's Embankment Progamme, informed that 94.04 kilometers of embankment has been constructed so far and a total of 2 billion 859 million rupees has been spent for the construction.