Despite the installation of gabion walls, people of Samrang River are afraid of flooding, particularly during the monsoon season. Twenty years ago, Lakmon Rai lost four acres of farmland. The river’s unpredictable path increases dangers and fosters ongoing anxiety. Over the past 20 years, floods have destroyed more than 100 acres of land in Samrang village, leaving Lakmon Rai and other residents always afraid of the swelling river and farmers’ anxiety during the monsoon season. The Gewog government built a gabion wall 700 meters long and two meters high.
However, during the monsoon, debris deposits cause the wall to become buried beneath water. Residents claim that since the SMCL started operating upstream, the problem has gotten worse. According to locals, mining operations have made erosion worse by moving trash into the river and elevating the riverbank, which now frequently floods during the monsoon season. According to former Gup M.B. Gurung, mining has exacerbated the problem by raising the riverbank over the village’s level, putting the inhabitants at even greater risk. According to SMCL, overburden on mineral resources raises the danger of flooding, with mining operations contributing 10% and natural landslides 90%.