India's Mahalisagar barrage, sited in Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, has become a cause for woe for Nepal. The structure, which has 15 sluice gates, will inundate 150 hectares (ha) of cultivable land in Nepal in normal times. During the monsoon -- when all its doors are closed -- it will inundate 600 ha.
The barrage is said to have already submerged nearly 50 ha of arable land and destroyed wheat crop worth Rs 10.25 lakh in Nepal's Kapilvastu district, which is sited about 100 metres from India's border. Sources in Nepal's ministry of water resources say that India has not stopped work on the barrage despite numerous protests by Nepal. They point out that though India did agree to halt the work three years back, it has not kept its word. India's contention is that the barrage is 100 years old and it is only carrying out repairs that will ensure better performance.
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