Melamchi playing 'Hide and Seek' with the Valley people

Kathmandu, June 26

Melamchi Water Supply Development Board (MWSDB) is calling for the tenders to construct the headwork of the project next Monday, on July 1. It is also reviewing the bidding documents submitted by two selected Nepali and Chinese firms to finish the remaining works in tunnel construction.

The project has been in limbo after its Italian contractor CMC left it in the middle in December last year. Later, the MWSDB, terminated the contract with the CMC.

The project has extended the headwork construction period by six months from the earlier estimated nine months to 15 months. According to a primary estimation, it might take about 18-20 months to complete the construction which means the Kathmandu-people will not get Melamchi water before early 2021.

Senior Divisional Engineer at the MWSDB Rajendra Prasad Pant said that the office was reviewing the bidding documents of the two firms and the deal is likely to finalise soon.

"The project date is extended after reviewing the activities in detail," he said.

Headwork construction, tunnel finishing, fitting the ventilation shaft and installing the hydromechanical gates and monitoring equipment are yet to be completed.

The Melamchi water is playing hide and seek with the denizens of the Kathmandu Valley for years.

The project that achieved about 90 per cent progress after 17 years of implementation and delayed by more than a decade has no deadline now although at least three prime ministers in the past and as many water supply ministers had said that the valley would receive water from the Melamchi River within a year.

The government has given priority to the project. Finance Minister Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada has allocated Rs. 7.39 billion for the completion of the project. He also said that the Detail Project Report (DPR) of the second phase of the project would complete next year.

In the first phase about 170 million liters water per day (MLD) will be brought to the valley from the Melamchi River and another 340 MLD – 170 MLD each – from the Larke and Yangri rivers.

Meanwhile, there is confusion about settling the issues with the sub-contractors and local vendors of the project who worked for the CMC and are claiming that the latter has the liability of Rs. 1.53 billion to them.

Last month, Secretary of the Ministry of Water Supply (MoWS) Deependra Nath Sharma had informed a parliamentary committee that the government was seeking 'all-party consensus' to pay the amount to the sub-contractors and vendors, although it was not the liability of the government, as they threatened not to allow further works unless they were paid.

According to the Ministry source, a committee has been formed including the representatives from the District Coordination Committee and District Administrative Office and other stakeholders in Sindhupalchowk district. But it is less likely to find the solution to make the payment, said the source.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 27 June 2019.