The Melamchi Drinking Water Project has constructed a gate of the alternative system at project site in Ambathan. According to the Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee, the maintenance was carried out to ensure smooth supply of drinking water to Kathmandu even when there was rising water current and sometimes dirty water flow in the Melamchi River. Committee Spokesperson Rajendra Prasad Pant informed the sluice gate 1 of the project was being used to release water into the tunnel and gate 9 to fall water flow.
‘Gate 9 checks dirty water flow to the tunnel’. The project remained closed for 10 days for undertaking maintenance of sluice gate under the alternative system. Though headwork was being used to flow the water in to the tunnel, the alternative route has been used now for water release when the headwork saw technical glitches no sooner it was constructed.
The water supply to the Kathmandu valley had resumed since Tuesday. Committee Spokesperson Pant further informed that the gate was closed for maintenance and volume of water was increasingly released being aware of the potential risks. ‘One-third of the water will be released in the beginning and then remaining two-third will be supplied. This is how the project is planning to supply water in full capacity’, he informed. —
