MIP will be a gamechanger in increasing agricultural growth in the far-western plains
It took 26 years for the Indian government to construct the 1.2-kilometre-long main canal on Nepali territory and the head regulator of the Mahakali Irrigation Project (MIP), a part of the Integrated Mahakali Treaty, signed between Nepal and India in 1996. Actually, construction work on the third phase of the main canal of the MIP had started from Brahmadev of Kanchanpur in 2006. As per the agreement reached between the two countries, Nepal is entitled to receive 350 cusecs of water for irrigation purposes in Kanchanpur and Kailali districts, where a total of 33,500 hectares of land will get regular water for irrigation.
Water from the Mahakali River will now be available via the main canal for irrigation with the construction of the main canal and other structures by the Indian side as per the treaty. The Nepali side wants the water to be released in the main canal on National Paddy Day on June 29. The Indian side, however, first wants to test-run the main canal it has built. The Nepal government has listed the MIP as a national pride project, for which a total of Rs 4 billion has already been spent to construct the 28-kilometre-long main canal and other sub-canals.
The Nepal government has already constructed a 13-km main canal from Brahmadev, and construction of an additional 15-km main canal is in its final stage. Of the total, 18.5 kilometres of the main canal are already ready. Although the government had listed it as a national pride project, its construction got delayed due to delay in paying compensation for land acquisition and budgetary constraint.
Once the project work is completed, more than two-thirds of the plain districts will be irrigated from the waters of the Mahakali River, which serves as a border river between the two countries on major stretches. This project will be a gamechanger, in increasing agricultural growth in the far-western districts. Till date, people of the districts have to rely on the rains to cultivate their farmland.
As per the Mahakali Treaty, the Indian side should have constructed the main canal and its headworks within a couple of years. Had they been constructed within the set deadline, the economy of the far-western region would have improved for the better, ensuring self-sufficiency in cereals and other cash crops. Another national pride project called the Ranijamara-Kuleriya in Kailali should also be completed in time so that 38,000 hectares of farmland could be irrigated round-the-year. These two irrigation projects will not only supply enough water for irrigation for large swathes of land in the two districts, but also generate employment and economic opportunities in the agriculture sector, which has been on the back-burner due to government's low priority. At the same time, the Nepal government should also hold meaningful dialogue with the Indian side about the sharing of water to be augmented following the construction of the proposed Pancheshwor Hydropower Project, which has also been delayed by decades. A joint office of the Pancheshwor Development Authority has been set up, but it has yet to finalise the DPR of the project. No progress has been made till date, although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed to expedite its works at the earliest when he visited Nepal in 2014.
Erring officials
Despite efforts to streamline the civil service for years, it continues to be plagued by lethargy, inefficiency and unaccountability. Work gets delayed in the government offices, among others, because officials are absent. And so it was during a surprise inspection carried out by the anti-corruption watchdog, National Vigilance Centre (NVC), in the Kathmandu Valley last week, when as many as 106 employees of 21 government offices were found not attending office on time. Similarly, 13 civil servants were absent from office without leave sanctioned and another 38 were not following the dress code prescribed by the government. The corresponding figures would definitely run into several hundreds if it was feasible to monitor all government offices.
The NVC has directed the concerned authorities to initiate action against the erring civil servants in accordance with the Civil Service Act-1993. But it remains to be seen if the directive will be carried out.
Anomalies exist in the civil service because there is no fear of punishment from their superiors. Civil servants have their trade unions affiliated to one or the other political party, which protect them even when they have done something wrong.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 28, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.