The Badkapath Irrigation Project (BIP) area is located in left bank of Rapti River covering most of the cultivable area of three VDCs namely Gobardiha, Gangaparaspur and Gadhawa ie ward No 1-7 of Gadhwa Rural Municipality. Presently, the farmers use local streams to irrigate their land during monsoon season. The streams carry no water during winter season and farmers have to depend on rainy water for irrigating their lands. There are no appropriate intake structures for regulating water into the canals, especially during flood period. Due to the temporary nature of the system, the farmers have to face awful difficult situation after every flood event damaging all their efforts of successfully diverting the river water.  Numbers of secondary and sub secondary systems off take from local streams by constructing diversion structures made up of local earth and forest product. The technical and other resources capabilities for operation and maintenance are thus beyond the capability of the local farmers. 

After successful implementation and operation of Praganna Kulo Irrigation Project which irrigate 5800 Ha cultivable area of Chaulahi, Sonpur, Sisahaniya & Lalmatiya VDCs of Dang District, Department of water Resource and Irrigation (DoWRI) through Badkapath Irrigation System aims to bring water from West Rapti River by constructing new canal and required structures. It also aims to   rehabilitate and improve the existing irrigation systems in order to enhance the irrigation facility and convert them into improved and effective irrigation systems.   This proposed improvement includes construction of intake at Rapti River, main canal, related structures and rehabilitation of existing FMISs by integrating them into limited numbers of systems, river training works, institutional development of Water User's Association and adequate agricultural support. The intake is located on the left bank of Rapti river at about 1.1 km upstream from the location of MRM bridge at Bhalubang. The intake area and initial 3 Km part of canal lies in ward no 6 of Jaluke VDC, ie ward no 1 of Sitganga municipality of Arghakhachi district.

2)  Location and Access

The Project area is located in left bank of Rapti river in Deukhuri valley covering all the wards of three VDCs namely Gobardiha, Gangaparaspur and Gadhawa of Dang district and ward No 6 of Jaluke VDC of Arghakhanchi district. As an update, these VDCs are part of ward No 1 to 7 of Gadhawa Rural Municipality. Govardiha VDC lies in ward No 1 to 3, Gangaparaspur lies in ward No 4,5 and Gadhawa lies in ward No 6,7 of Gadhawa Rural Municipality and Jaluke -6 lies in Ward No 1 of Sitganga Municipality of Arghakhanchi district. The intake is proposed on the left bank at about 1.1 km upstream (Rapti river) of the MRM bridge at Bhalubang. The intake and part of canal lies in Lape village, ward no 6 of Jaluke VDC, Arghakhachi district. In the eastern side, the area can be accessed from the gravel road which offtakes from Mahendra Rajmarg at Kalakate which is about 2 Km east of the bridge at Bhalubang. The gravel road passes almost midway longitudinally in east west direction through the command area and rejoins the MRM at Lamahi by recrossing the Rapti river at Balarampur. Thus, the Project area can be accessed in all season from the eastern side via Kalkate and from the western side via Lamahi. Also, the traditional route to the Indian border at Koilabas, passes through Gadhawa bazaar which lies in the western end of the command area. The 30 km mountainous road is presently not motorable but plan for its upgradation to make it motorable has been initiated by other concerned agency. Location, Command Area and VDCs is shown in following figure: .

3) Objectives

The objectives of Badkapath Irrigation Project are categorized into following headings:  

Objective I: Irrigation Facility to Support Agricultural Production and Productivity 

The direct objective of Badkapath Irrigation Project is to provide controlled diversion of water from Rapti river and appropriate canal system to convey it to the agricultural fields so as to provide year round assured irrigation to the 4000 ha agricultural land area most of which, presently depend upon monsoon rain. Such assured irrigation will result in increase in agricultural production and productivity of the area thereby providing support to the ultimate aim to uplift the socio-economic condition of the people in the project area.

Objective II: Integrated Crop Water Management

Presently there is focus on Integrated Crop Water Management to facilitate optimum use of resources to increase products and productivity. The Department of Water Resource and Irrigation is working in close coordination and cooperation with Department of Agriculture. Implementation of Badkapath Irrigation Project is expected to support Government's Integrated Crop Water Management targets.

Experience and significant achievements made by PKIP regarding the highly successful System of Rice Intensification (SRI) agricultural technology will be applied in the project area to boost agricultural productivity. PKIP draws water from three intakes located at right bank of West Rapti River.

Objective III: Command Area Development

Irrigation infrastructure to convey water to the field including division structures, canal road crossings and conveyance structures and agricultural access road infrastructural works such as link roads, village road bridges etc will be part of the project so that farmers have easy access to water and also to export their products to market centers. This will provide basic infrastructure for other development works specially agro based activities.

Objective IV: Institutional Development

The beneficiary farmers would be formed into formal organizations and would be provided training not only on the aspects of Project operation and maintenance but also on agriculture, marketing etc as part of the Integrated Crop Water Management program. This would ensure efficient use of water and other resources and maximize benefits which would ultimately increase the socio-economic condition of the farmers.

Objective V: Employment Opportunity and Skill Enhancement

Various construction activities during project implementation will provide employment opportunity to the local people both directly and indirectly. This will also provide opportunity to the local people to learn and enhance skill which they may use in similar other works.

Objective VI: Institutional Development

The beneficiary farmers would be formed into formal organizations and would be provided training not only on the aspects of Project operation and maintenance but also on agriculture, marketing etc as part of the Integrated Crop Water Management program. This would ensure efficient use of water and other resources and maximize benefits which would ultimately increase the socio-economic condition of the farmers.

4)  Existing Socio-Economic Situation

4.1 Population

Total Population of the project area comprising people of ward No 1-7 of Gadhawa Rural Municipality is about 33370.The population comprises of a mixture of communities; dominant being the indigenous Tharu community which comprise 49% of the population. Dalit community form 7.80 percent of the population in three VDCs (7.39 percent in Gadhwa 5.13% in Gangaparaspur and 10.04 percent in Gobardiya.). Other indigenous community are the Kumal and Yadav. Most of the Bhramins,Chhetris and other community of mountain origin have migrated from the hilly area of Rapti Zone. Most of the people are engaged in agriculture. Those who earn from agriculture is categorized to land owner, tenant and farm labor. Women are mostly engaged in agricultural labor.

4.2 Food Sufficiency

Baseline study of the project area shows that regarding food security status 65.64% of the HH are food insecure whereas 34.36% of the household (HH) are food secure for the whole year. The period of the food unsecured is nearly 7.06 months of a year. Though the HHs have responded food secure it does not indicate that are they really secured in terms of adequacy of Calories required.

4.3 Land, Land Tenure System And Irrigated Land Holding:

The average farm size in the system is about 0.70 Ha. The largest is in Gangaparaspur (0.87Ha.) and lowest is in Gobardiha (0.63Ha.) from this farm in the proposed BplP the share is about 82.43%. The upland land is about 47.54% and low land area is about 52.46%. The leased in area in the average farm in project area is about 0.18 Ha. Socio economic situation seems to have been highly influenced by construction of East West Highway. Before the EW Highway, the Gadhawa area was commercially active because it lies in the route to the access road to India via Koilabas. The road has been nonfunctional after the operation of EW highway which has resulted into downfall of the commercial position of Gadhawa area. Presently efforts are ongoing to reopen the road. This is expected to result in positive commercial opportunity by availing Illarket access to India.

5) Water Resource Existing Water Use And Water Right 

Water of West Rapti river in Deukhuri valley has been traditionally used by farmers living on both side of the banks. After implementation of Praganna Kulo Irrigation Project the land on the right bank is receiving assured year round water in a controlled manner through control structures constructed by the project. In the left bank, an irrigation system was in existence in which water was diverted from West Rapti river (from a point about 6 Km downstream from proposed location of Badkapath Irrigation Project) by local brushwood, but overtime the intake as well part of canal at various location has been eroded and washed away by Rapti river making it totally defunct. In some area within the proposed project area the farmers tap flash flood water in the local drains and feed it to irrigation ponds for irrigation use at later time but such method is not reliable and area covered is limited. Towards the western tail end of the command area, there is in existence a irrigation system namely the Dangalichhap kulo covering about 700 ha. A temporary brush wood and boulder filled gabion is used to divert water from one braided channel of Rapti river. An intricate canal system built traditionally conveys water to the fertile agricultural land covering about 700 ha. The intake is washed away in every flood and the farmers face difficulty to repair and maintain it. Moreover, the river being of braided regime, the stability of channel is not certain. Therefore the farmers of the Dangalichhap system area have also joined other farmers to request for the Badkapath Irrigation Project. During monsoon the water available is much more than required. Only for few days during dry month the water may not be sufficient. To handle such situation the farmers living in opposite banks have traditionally established water sharing  arrangement based on proportional sharing of available water. Thus, regarding issue of water rights, it is observed that there is harmony among the farmers of PKIP who are already using the water and farmers of Badkapath Irrigation Project. Regarding to sharing water of Rapti River an mutual agreement has been made between farmer representatives of both systems.

6) Major Project Components

6.1 Intake

A side intake with capacity of about 9m3/s is already  built on the left bank at about 1100 m

upstream from the MRM bridge over Rapti river at Bhalubang. This is a side intake having capacity to  extract design canal discharge during the year round. The intake is well protected at upstream and downstream which have a separate access road built to reach upon even in monsoon season.

6.2 Canal Alignment And Command Area

Soon after the intake, the canal alignment follows contour with a slope of about 1 : 3500. Canal alignment passes through the toe of forest area and to avoid agricultural land as far as technically possible. However in some places like Malmala village, the canal alignment goes through the command area. Total length of main canal is about 30 Km,the end will outfall at Kabri river, west of Gadhwa. Command area of the Project is 4000 Ha covering agricultural land highly suitable for irrigated agriculture. It is elongated in shape from east to west with width ranging from 0.5 Km to 4 Km. The area begins from the northern foothill of the churia mountains and extends upto the left bankline of Rapti river.

6.3 Cross Drainage Works And Canal Infrastructure

The canal has to cross cut numerous cross drainage works which is by far the most technically challenging aspect of Badkapath Irrigation Project. Altogether there are 44 drainages of which major are 12 (length more than 100 m). Most of them a cut and cover canal system (superpassage) would be suitable. The command area is uniformly sloped towards north west so command area  development is expected to be relatively simple. Few dividing structures, canal road crossing structures, aqueducts and fall structures would be required. Road crosses are also major structures in this system. The Main canal alignment crosses   Mahendra Highway at one place near Bhalubang, Damodar Marga at One place near Badahara and Lamahi Koilabas road at Samaithan.

6.4 Command Area Protection Works

About 4 Km length of Main Canal and 26 Km length of Command Area lies along the left bank of Rapti river. Flood in Rapti river has been eroding the banks and its protection is one of the main demand of the affected farmers. Various agencies including People's Embankment Program have provided protection works at some locations. Protection works at the downstream from Bauraha Khola (CH 8+000) is being continued from PEP Program and the upstream part is under the scope of this project. Besides the protection of existing command area, the flooded terrace of Rapti  also can be reclaimed from the embankment construction works. Moreover protection of erosion of command area by the drainages flowing from churia hills to the Rapti river cross cutting the command area is also incorporated in the project scope.

 6.5 Institutional Development

Institutional development activities including strengthening and support of Water User Association, support works for agricultural extension, marketing etc and social harmonization works will be carried out under this component. There are many users committees mainly grouped in three tires. For the resent, one main coordination Committee, three main committees and 26 number of Kulopani committees have been already organized. Association Organizer of the project is mainly responsible for support activities regarding to the institutional development.