Kathmandu, May 3: The tunnel finishing work of Melamchi Drinking Water Project has been completed. The Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee has stated that preparations are being made to test the tunnel. The work of headworks is going on. According to the committee, the contract period of the headworks is still eight months away. Spokesperson of the committee Rajendra Prasad Pant informed that the work was not stopped even though the project was affected due to the shutdown caused by the corona virus.
Pant said that the work will be completed within the construction agreement period. The government has stated that water will be distributed in Kathmandu Valley at the beginning of the next fiscal year by completing the construction work of Melamchi Drinking Water Project within the current fiscal year through the annual budget of the fiscal year 2077/78. The government has allocated Rs 5.46 billion for the first and second phases of Melamchi. Accordingly, in the second phase, water of Yangri and Larke rivers will be mixed in Melamchi tunnel.
In the first phase, 1.7 million liters of water from Melamchi River will reach Kathmandu Valley daily. Under the second phase of the project, water from Yangri and Larke rivers will also be mixed in the Melamchi tunnel route. In which 170-170 million liters of water will be added daily from Yangri and Larke. After mixing the water of Yangri and Larke rivers, 340 million liters of water will come to Kathmandu daily.