Office for Kaligandaki-Tinau Diversion established in Butwal

Kathmandu, June 26

The government has set up an office for the Kaligandaki-Tinau Diversion Multipurpose Project (KTDMP) in Butwal Sub-metropolitan City.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Bishnu Prasad Paudel, inaugurated the office on Saturday amidst a programme. The project aims at irrigating land in Rupandehi and Kapilvastu districts in Lubini Province and generating 126 Megawatt electricity by diverting the Kaligandaki River to the Tinau River.

According to the primary estimates, the ambitious project would be developed at the cost of Rs. 138 billion.

DPM Paudel has earmarked budget for the making of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), project implementation framework and resource management of the Kaligandaki-Tinau project along with other seven large river diversion projects.

The government has long been including the project in the budget for the last six years.

Inaugurating the office, he said that the pride project would help in changing the face of the nation through agricultural development and electricity generation. He appealed one and all to contribute to make the project a successful one.

He expressed his commitment that the project would have enough resources. “The government would make sure that the project would not face shortage of financial and human resources. I urge all to help in materialising the project,” said DPM Paudel, who is represented Rupandehi in the Parliament and now has the responsibility of Home, Industry and Commerce, and Energy ministries as well.

Project Chief Santosh Kaini said that the DPR of the project would be prepared soon. “The DPR will be prepared within a year and construction work begin from the Fiscal Year 2022/23,” he said.

A dam will be constructed 2.3 kilometre downstram Ramdi in the Kaligandaki and sent to the Tinau through a 27 km tunnel. About 83 cubic metre water per second would be sent through the tunnel. After the completion of the project, there would be enough facility for irrigation f 100,000 hectare land in Rupandehi and Kapilvastu. Likewise, 100 MW electricity would be generated in the Tinau River at Dovan of Palpa district and 26 MW at Belbas of Butwal.

Kaligandaki-Tinau is one among 11 river diversion projects being materialized in the country.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 27 June 2021. With inputs from Butwal correspondent.