KATHMANDU, MARCH 4

The Melamchi Water Supply Development Board has appealed to the locals to remain alert, saying the water level in the Bagmati River might rise while testing the water supply project tunnel.

Informing that water has been released in the tunnel for trial since February 22, the Board said the water would reach Sundarijal soon and some amount of water would flow into the Bagmati River directly.

Information Officer of the Board Rajendra Prasad Panta said they had urged locals to adopt precaution as the water level might surge suddenly in the next few days.

'Water will reach Sundarijal within two days.

So, locals from Sundarijal to Balkhu are requested to remain alert,' he added.

Construction of the tunnel was completed last year, and it was tested in the month of July after completion. However, an incident took place after the water flow broke the sluice gate on the tunnel in the course of the trial due to technical error. The Board has carried out test of the tunnel again after correcting the mistake.

Water would be supplied through the distribution network system of Kathmandu valley within the next month under the Melamchi Drinking Water Supply Project if no technical glitches occur while conducting the tunnel test.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 5, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.