Kathmandu, January 19

Minister for Irrigation Deepak Giri and Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Ranjit Rae have jointly inaugurated the Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation Project.

Under the project, 2,700 shallow tube well irrigation systems have been installed in 12 districts in Tarai region, as per a statement issued by Embassy of India in Nepal.

The project was executed by Ground Water Resources Development Board, Ministry of Irrigation, which provided technical and financial supervision in implementation of the project. The Indian government provided financial assistance of Rs 256.72 million towards procurement and installations of pumps for 2,700 shallow tube wells in the 12 districts — Saptari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Chitwan, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Dang, Kailali and Kanchanpur.

The implementation of the programme was started in January 2015 and completed in December 2016 as per the scheduled completion period of two years, the statement says.

The installation of shallow tube wells in Tarai has started benefiting the farmers who earlier depended on natural rainwater for irrigation. Now, farmers can avail all-season irrigation facility in these districts and this is likely to irrigate about 8,100 hectares of land. The project is helping to uplift the socio-economic status of a large number of farming households by augmenting the production of wheat, rice and seasonal fruits and vegetables.