KATHMANDU: The Japan government has agreed to extend Rs 4.529 billion (Japanese Yen 4.813 billion) grant assistance to the Nepal government for the Project for Improvement of Water Supply in Pokhara under the grant assistance scheme in Japan's Fiscal Year 2016, the Ministry of Finance has stated.

The Project aims to improve water supply services in Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City and to increase the revenue of Nepal Water Supply Corporation through the construction of water treatment facilities, improvement of distribution systems including reservoirs, and procuring customer meters, thereby contributing to the improvement of livelihood in Pokhara.

Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation will be the counterpart ministry and Nepal Water Supply Corporation will be responsible for implementing this project.

The project, which will have the capacity to filter 40.2 million litres of water every day, is expected to be completed by December 2022. After the completion of the project, it is expected that more than 405,000 people will be directly benefitted, the Ministry stated in a press release.

Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Shanta Raj Subedi and Ambassador of Japan to Nepal Masashi Ogawa signed the Exchange of Notes today in the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Government of Nepal and the Government of Japan, respectively.

Likewise, Baikuntha Aryal, Joint Secretary, International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division at the Ministry of Finance and Jun Sakuma, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency Nepal Office signed the grant agreement.

The Nepal government has expressed its sincere appreciation to Japan for this assistance.