Kathmandu, Dec 25: The Kathmandu Valley has for long been struggling with the problem of drinking water. Despite promises by authorities, the Valley residents are crying for water for over three decades.
The long awaited Melamchi Water Project, a hope of Kathmanduites, came into implementation after a long wait of 23 years, and the water from the Melamchi river landed in Kathmandu in 2021, sending happiness to the thirsty people.
But, this did not go long as the Sindhupalchok flood damaged the project the same year. Following this, the water distribution to Kathmandu got affected. The water was first distributed to Kathmandu in March 2021. The water was distributed for the second time in April 2022 after maintenance. But with the start of the monsoon, it was stopped again.
Since then, the water has not reached Kathmandu so far. The water had to be supplied to the Kathmandu residents by the fourth week of December, 2023, but to no avail so far.
The Melamchi Khanepani Bikas Samiti has however said the water distribution would resume by the third week of January 2024. An agreement has been reached with the contractor to clean the project’s water source by then, it said.
As a result of the water crisis, the residents of Kathmandu are depending on tanker, jar and bottled water without any alternative.
Even three months after the end of the rainy season, there is uncertainty about the Melamchi water supply.
Whenever the Kathmandu residents strongly demand for the Melamchi water, concerned authorities including ministers seem to be concerned and reach the source of the water to inspect before assuring that the water will be delivered soon. However, when the ministers are replaced, their assurances are never to be implemented. The new ministers again repeat the same thing, complained people.
Fed up with such activities of ministers, some people have blamed that ministers are not interested themselves under the influence of tanker entrepreneurs, who in fact do not want the Melamchi water in Kathmandu for their personal interests. They fear their business will go down if the Melamchi water arrives.
The leaders would seek long term solutions to the water problem if they were really interested, said the locals.
The flood badly damaged the Melamchi project. Due to the inability to make the structure permanent, there is the problem that there is no water in the rainy season, and there is water in the winter. The government has not been able to bring and implement a concrete plan for the long-term solution to the problem.
The contractor has complained of facing difficulties to work as this year, the main gate that receives water during the rainy season has been buried more than last year, according to the Ministry of Water Supply.
The contractor did not work demanding the collateral amount, said the Ministry, adding that as providing the amount requires the duo procedure, it would take some more time to bring the water.
History of the Melamchi water project
Although the concept paper of the Melamchi Water Supply Project was prepared during the Panchayat period, it came to light when Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai after the restoration of multi-party democracy in the country put forth the ambitious plan to bring the Melamchi water to Kathmandu. The project started in 1998 with the establishment of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board with the completion deadline being 2006.
However, the project faced many hurdles in between. In 2007, the contract with the UK contractor, Severn Trent, was cancelled citing it lacked a strong international track record. Again in 2012, the contract with China Railway 15 Bureau Group Corporation, a Chinese contractor, was cancelled citing its lack of good performance before awarding a new contract to Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti di Ravenna (CMC).
In 2019, a dispute took place between the government and the CMC when the CMC claimed Rs. 1.61 billion in compensation for delays caused by the 2015 earthquake and the subsequent Indian blockade.
The CMC left the project after it did not get the compensation as demanded (The Government of Nepal agreed to pay only Rs 350 million in compensation). Thereafter, Sino Hydro, a Chinese firm, won the new contract to complete the remaining work of the project.
In 2019, the CMC alleged that 3 percent commission was demanded in the payment of Rs. 300 million. This issue resulted in the breaking of the contract with the CMC.
In July 2020, two employees at the construction site of the Melamchi water project lost their lives after being swept away by the water released through one of the tunnels of the project during the test.
