Minister Chaudhary instructs to work to restore water supply from Melamchi by mid-April

Minister for Water Supply Umakanta Chaudhary instructed all agencies concerned to work in such a manner that Melamchi Project’s water could be supplied to Kathmandu Valley within mid-April this year.

Minister Chaudhary, who reached Ambathan, the source of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project via Sundarijal Tunnel today, pledged additional technical assistance and human resources for the Project if need be. Chaudhary instructed the Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee and contractor company Sinohydro to fulfill government’s target to supply Melamchi’s water to Kathmandu Valley within mid-April. Minister Chaudhary was accompanied by Helambu Rural Municipality ward chair Nima Gyalzen Sherpa and executive director of Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee Basudev Poudel among others.

During the inspection, the Minister assured that the government was ready to make pending payment on time but there should not be any delay in the project work under any pretext. On the part of delay on payment to contractor company, he clarified that the government of Nepal had been paying regularly to the contractor in USD as per the agreement and payment in USD was a little time consuming. According to him, the Ministry for Water Supply, Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee and stakeholder government agencies were positive about the demands of affected locals and flood survivors. He expressed his satisfaction over the pace of the project’s work. Similarly, senior divisional engineer Padam Bahadur Kunwar shared that removal of gregan piled up at Ambathan would take a bit longer as he said sediment has been amassed in a huge quantity. Removal of the deposition of materials and landslide debris has so far achieved a 70 per cent progress. According to him, they were working to ensure the re-distribution of Melamchi’s water to Kathmandu Valley within mid-April.

Likewise, Helambu rural municipality chairperson Nima Gyalzen Sherpa urged the government to increase the amount from existing Rs 500,000 to flood survivors to rebuild their houses. The project, upon implementation, had begun supplying water to Kathmandu Valley. The flood and landslide in last monsoon causes severe damaged to some parts of the Project, impeding the supply of targeted 170 million liters water per day to the Valley.