Kathmandu, October 12

Melamchi Water Supply Project has begun testing of second filter cell of its water treatment plant in Sundarijal.

According to Melamchi Water Supply Development Board, after successful test of the first filter cell, it began testing the second filter cell from yesterday. The water treatment plant has three filter cells — the first and the second having three filters each and the third two filters.

Deputy Executive Director at MWSDP Ramakanta Duwadi said test of filter cells will be completed within the next two weeks.

“While the testing of filters will continue till the next two weeks, the plant will continue operating until the

water availability remains high in the Bagmati River.” Duwadi told The Himalayan Times, adding, “Since no supply channel is available, we are compelled to dump treated water back into the Bagmati River.”

The project has been dumping 30 million litres of treated water daily into Bagmati River in Sundarijal since October 4 this month. According to the project, it attempted to distribute treated water, but could not do so due to technical defects in the pipelines installed by Project Implementation Directorate at Bhairabchaur Danda of Gokerneshwor Municipality -4.

Currently, the Sundarijal-based water treatment plant has been treating more than 30 million liter water daily. This water is dumped into the Bagmati River through 100-metre long twin pipelines. So far, the treatment plant has dumped more than 270 million litres of treated water into Bagmati River.

After pipeline system failure, the board had temporarily halted testing of the treatment plant on September 20. Testing of the plant resumed on September 17. Along with the test operation of the treatment plant, the board had begun testing of BDS pipelines by supplying treated water through BDS pipelines on September 17.

The water treatment plant has the capacity of treating 85 million litres of water per day.

A joint venture of VA Tech Wabag Limited and Indian firm Pratibha Industries Limited had won the Rs 4.2 billion contract to construct the water treatment plant in 2014. The project was supposed to be completed by mid-September. However, it was delayed due to difficulties faced in the course of digging project tunnel.