Melamchi in Kathmandu by next October

Kathmandu, Oct. 24 The Development Committee of the Legislature-Parliament Monday directed the government to complete the construction the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) and distribute water of Melamchi river in the Kathmandu Valley by October next year.

Chairman of the Committee Rabindra Adhikari asked the government, Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation (MoWSS) and MWSP to expedite the construction works to complete the work in time instead of extending the deadline.

The project has been delayed by a decade than its targeted time.

The MWSP was launched in 2001 with an aim of completing it by 2007.

But, the project failed to meet its deadlines which were extended twice.

According to the second revised date, it was to be completed by September this year.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, during an on-site inspection of the project in Sindhupalchowk last month, directed the authorities to complete the project before the deadline.

The MWSP, a national pride project, has been financed by the Asian Development.

 Project chief Ghana Shyam Bhattarai informed that still about 7-km long tunnel was to be constructed while there was only 40 per cent progress in the construction head works.

The total length of the tunnel is 27.58-km.

However, construction of 20-km access road, 21-km audit access road and 6 site offices were completed and the progress at the water treatment plant construction is 96 per cent.

Bhattarai assured the lawmakers that water from Melamchi would be distributed inside the Ring Road area before October 2017. 

Adhikari directed the government to efficiently mobilise the human resource, construction equipments and management team, expedite the construction of tunnel, head works and water treatment plant and ensure locally available construction materials.

He also asked the government to take pre-caution not to let people encroach the land that the project acquired earlier.

According to Bhattarai, the land acquired for the project was being encroached time and again. The project had to publish a public notice, calling the people to abandon the encroached land.

"As the water of Melamchi River, 170 million litre per day, will be insufficient to meet the demand of the growing demand in the valley, the government should bring water from Yangri and Larke rivers which are en route of the Melamchi pipe line," said Adhikari.

He directed the government to initiate the preparation of detailed project report (DPR) and construction of infrastructure required to bring the water of Yangri and Larke rivers, and identify the Phase II of the MWSP as the national pride project.

Secretary of the MoWSS Dr. Sanjay Sharma said that complex topography, earthquake, blockade, limited capacity of the technical manpower and inter-basin transfer were the major obstacles in the project development.

The project will bring 170 million litres water from Melamchi and 340 million litres water from Larke and Yangri rivers.