Saptari/ Udayapur, July 13 -- Chitranarayan Sah's house is just about 500 metres from the Saptakoshi river in Daluwa, Saptari, and his paddy field runs parallel to the western embankment. Over the last week, it has been a routine for Sah, in his mid-40s, to go check out the water levels in the river.

"It feels like the river has become angrier in the last three days. I have not been able to sleep properly," said Sah. "My house will be washed away if the river breaches the embankment."

A steady rise in the water levels in Saptakoshi, the country's biggest river, over the past few days has put several settlements near the riverbanks at high risk of floods and inundation. The flooded river has been constantly eroding its embankments in sev...