Khotang, August 24

The construction work at Mewa Khola Hydropower project has suffered setback after flash floods in the Mewa River swept away construction materials and equipment in Khotang.

The project is likely to be delayed by months due the damage caused by the floods. Earlier, floods in June and July had swept away a number of equipment as well as construction materials of the project site at the confluence of Sapsukhola and Mewakhola rivers.

“As the floods swept away survey equipment, mixture machine, steel, generators, among other items, the work has been halted,” said Krishna Panta, site in-charge of the contractor company Pacific Builders. He added that construction work would resume only after the water level in the rivers normalised.

Earlier, the project was estimated to be completed by mid-September given 80 per cent of the work had been finished. However, the damage caused by the floods has pushed the completion date to mid-January, said project Chief Lalit Kumar Rai. He estimated that the floods had damaged equipment worth around ten million rupees.

Some 40 VDCs in the district, including 72 VDCs and one municipality, are expected to get rid of the current load-shedding problem after the completion of the one MW power project.