The local governments in West Nawalparasi have started an initiative to protect the wetlands that face encroachment risk.

At the effort of Ramgram Municipality, the local governments in the district have decided to identify the wetlands that are at risk and take steps to preserve them.

Rudal Yadav, chief of the Rural Development Branch of the municipality, said that most  wetlands have been encroached upon by local residents. “We are making efforts to remove the encroachments and develop the wetlands so that they could support the local community in income generation,” he said.

Works are also underway to preserve the historic Buddhamangal lake in Bardaghat Municipality. The lake, which was spread around 10 bighas of land until a few years ago, has shrunk significantly due to encroachment in the recent times.

Mayor Dhiraj Sharma Basyal said a recent municipal council meeting has endorsed a work plan to preserve the wetlands.

“Our plan is to restore the lake to its original state by clearing the encroachment. Once we have achieved that we will run other projects to bring in income for locals,” he said.