SINDHUPALCHOWK, MARCH 16

Minister of Water Supply Umakanta Chaudhary instructed all agencies concerned to work in such a manner that Melamchi Project's water could be supplied to Kathmandu valley by mid-April.

Minister Chaudhary, who reached Ambathan, the source of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project via Sundarijal tunnel today, pledged additional technical assistance and human resources for the project, if required.

Chaudhary instructed the Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee and contractor company Sinohydro to meet the government's target of supplying Melamchi's water to Kathmandu valley by mid- April.

Minister Chaudhary was accompanied by Helambu Rural Municipality ward Chair Nima Gyalzen Sherpa and Executive Director of Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee Basudev Poudel, among others.

During inspection, the minister assured that the government was ready to make pending payments on time, but there should not be any delay in the project work under any pretext.

With regard to delay in payment to the contractor company, he clarified that the government had been paying the contractor regularly in USD as per the agreement and that payment in USD was a little time consuming process. According to him, the Ministry of Water Supply, Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee and stakeholder government agencies were positive about the demands of affected locals and flood survivors.

He expressed his satisfaction over the pace of the project work.

Similarly, senior divisional engineer Padam Bahadur Kunwar shared that removal of gangrene piled up at Ambathan would take a bit longer time as sediment had amassed in a huge quantity.

Removal of the deposit of materials and landslide debris has so far achieved 70 per cent progress.

According to him, they are working to ensure the re-distribution of Melamchi water to Kathmandu valley by mid-April.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 17, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.