Surkhet, January 7

If everything goes as planned, drinking water for the people of Surkhet Valley will be brought from the Bheri River using water lifting system.

With the increasing demand of drinking water in Surkhet Valley, people have been facing drinking water crisis for the last few years.

Surkhet Valley Drinking Water Corporation said survey work to bring water through lift system using the confluence of Bheri River and Jhupra khola as water source for the Valley had started.

The contract to carry out detailed survey and detailed project report for the construction of the water lifting system has already been awarded to a consulting company. The driking water project has been titled as Bheri Pumping Project.

The consulting company has already conducted a detailed survey for the pumping station and intake.

A survey has also been done to set up treatment plant at Amritdanda of Birendranagar-11.

Surkhet Drinking Water Corporation Chief Kulmani Devkota said it would cost around 1.5 billion rupees for the project. Of the total estimated budget, the government will provide 90 per cent grant and consumers will bear the remaining ten per cent cost.

After completion of the Bheri Pumping Project, Sukhet will receive 700 litres of water per second from the project and the amount of water will meet the water demand of the Surkhet Valley for the next 100 years.

According to Devkota, Surkhet Valley is facing shortage of 2.9 million litres of water per day. Though the Valley is in need of 15 million litres of water, the water supply is just 12 million litres per day.

Devkota said that they were collaborating with stakeholders to manage fund for the Bheri Pumping Project as it was the only permanent solution tothe water crisis in the Valley.

The corporation has set the target of completing the project in three years.