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🇳🇵 Nepal /Environment & Climate

Nepal, India set three-year deadline to map cross-border land occupation

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Nepal and India have agreed to map cross-border land occupation within three years using drone technology.
  • The agreement aims to resolve a long-standing boundary issue where land has shifted between the countries due to river course changes.
  • Senior survey officials from both nations made the decision during a meeting in Lucknow, India.

Senior survey officials from Nepal and India have committed to mapping cross-border land occupation within three years, marking a significant breakthrough in resolving a persistent boundary issue. The agreement, reached during the 13th meeting of the Survey Officials' Committee (SOC) in Lucknow, India, will utilize unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to determine the exact status of land occupation across the border.

This initiative addresses a complex problem stemming from the delineation of the Nepal-India border, particularly in riverine areas where the Fixed Boundary Principle was adopted. Over decades, shifts in river courses have led to thousands of hectares of land moving from one country's territory to the other, resulting in situations of "cross-border occupation." Citizens of one nation now cultivate or reside on land officially belonging to the other.

We have decided to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to conclude mapping of cross border occupation in three years

— Susheel DangolDeputy director at Nepal's Department of Survey, explaining the technological approach to the boundary issue.

The issue gained prominence when Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal stated in May that India had encroached on Nepali land, and vice-versa. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later clarified that Dahal's comment referred to this cross-border occupation and land use, not territorial claims. The SOC and Joint Field Survey Teams are documenting these changes, providing a technical basis for future government decisions.

Susheel Dangol, deputy director at Nepal's Department of Survey and leader of the Nepali delegation, explained that UAVs will capture aerial images for analysis, leading to a common understanding of the extent of cross-border occupation. The SOC also approved the annual plan and budget for the agreement. The joint survey is expected to commence after the monsoon season, around September or October. This effort is part of broader bilateral work to resolve technical boundary issues, which dates back to at least 2014.

The UAVs will capture aerial images for the survey. We will then analyse these images and reach a common understanding to determine the extent of cross-border occupation

— Susheel DangolFurther details on the process of using drone imagery for the joint survey.
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Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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