Excessive rainfall during the monsoon season causes the river to overflow its banks, submerging neighboring areas. Wide riverside wetlands act as natural barriers to control flooding. However, many such wetlands have long been used as residential areas or farmland, leaving the entire region near the river susceptible to flooding, resulting in direct flood damage.
Riverside farming is not desirable in terms of water improvement and ecological restoration. Insecticides and fertilizers seep into the soil and runoff into the rivers instantly, allowing no time and chance for the nature’s self-purification to take effect. They have become the major causes of water degradation.
In an effort to improve river water quality, the government is restoring all riverside farmland to its natural state while offering farmers compensation for two years’ worth of agricultural loss to move away from the river areas.
