Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Masashi Ogawa and Man Bahadur B. K. Chairman of the Ward No. 2, Gharapjhong Village Municipality signed a grant agreement to construction of an embankment along the Kali Gandaki River in Marpha, Mustang District.

Under the agreement the Embassy of Japan will provide grant assistance of USD 90,296 (about NPR 9.2 million) under the Japanese Government's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP). The project will support the construction of a 420 meter long embankment along the bank of the Kali Gandaki to prevent erosion of adjacent land.

The embankment will protect land near the school grounds and nearby agricultural plots. The embankment is expected to contribute towards the safety of students and villagers and also protect fields from further erosion.

According to a press release of Embassy of Japan, Marpha is a village in Mustang District that is a famous stop-over for trekkers heading to Jomson, Muktinath, and beyond to Lo Manthang in Upper Mustang, and around the Annapurna range. Marpha is very well known in Japan since Ekai Kawaguchi, a Japanese Buddhist monk, stayed in the village in the early 1900s to learn about the local culture and language.

“The Embassy of Japan believes that the project can contribute towards conserving land and building a safe environment for students. It also hopes that the assistance will contribute towards further strengthening the bilateral relationship between Japan and Nepal,” said a press release issued by Embassy of Japan.