By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Feb. 19
Parched Kathmanduites have good news that the much-talked about Melamchi Water Project would be completed within 2013. The project work is likely to gain momentum after the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works and two Chinese companies Thursday signed an agreement to construct headwork and approximately 26.3-km long diversion tunnel.
They made commitment to complete the project within 1,596 days from the day of contract.
The ministry that looks after the project and China Railway 15 Bureau Group Corporation and China CMIIC Engineering Corporation signed a memorandum for the construction of Rs. 4.288 billion project which aimed at adding 500 million liters of drinking water per day to the existing water supply network of Valley.
Speaking at the contract signing ceremony, Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar, Minister for Physical Planning and Works, said that the dream project of Kathmanduites would turn into reality.
He said that it was a matter of pleasure for the people not only in the Valley but also for the people in Melamchi because it would disseminate very positive message among the people across the country.
Expressing his aversion to politicisation in each and every sector, he called for the political parties and people not to politicise the development sector. "We have infected every sector with politics and now it is time to make it free from the malady," he stressed.
He assured donors of government’s commitment to complete the project by putting aside other issues. He also said that the government would resolve all the problems that come in the way of implementing the project.
Gajendra Kumar Thakur, executive director of Melamchi Water Supply Development Board, said that they were firmly committed to complete the project by the given deadline.
The long-awaited Melamchi project has been designed for implementation in three stages to meet the increasing water demand of Kathmandu Valley up to 2031. In the first stage, 170 MLD of water will be diverted from the Melamchi River at Helambu Village Development Committee of Sindhupalchowk district. As additional 340 MLD of water (170 MLD) each) will be added from the Yangri and Larke rivers in the second and third stages respectively. Thus, altogether, 510 MLD of water will be added to the existing water supply network of the Kathmandu Valley following the completion of all the three stages of the project.
The project will construct headwork and diversion tunnel along with main access roads, adit access roads, social upliftment programme and water treatment plant in the Valley. Similarly, the project will carry out other activities such as bulk distribution system, distribution network improvement, waste water management, etc. in the Valley.
Besides, the project will carry out a social upliftment programme to mitigate the direct and indirect impacts and to channel the benefits to Melamchi valley on a long term basis to improve the living conditions of the people in the area. The social upliftment project includes health, education, buffer zone management, income generation and community development and rural electrification. A total of Rs. 350 million has been allocated for the programme.
