Parasi, Aug. 11 -- The clock showed 1:25 am. Along the banks of the Narayani river in Susta Rural Municipality-5 of West Nawalparasi, however, young men were still hauling sacks filled with soil. Those unable to carry the heavy sacks were busy arranging wire mesh.

The scene on Sunday night drew attention as residents of Susta worked through the night, racing to reinforce the riverbank for fear that floodwaters from the Narayani could spill into their settlement.

Sitting along the riverbank, residents, including Kamal Bhagat, were teaching other young men how to reinforce the embankment, drawing on techniques they had learned from previous efforts to protect the settlement.

This is not the first time Susta residents have worked day and ...