The main question here is whether Melamchi will start full operation even after removing debris
When Minister for Water Supply Umakant Chaudhary visited the Melamchi Drinking Water Supply Project at Melamchi last week, he had vowed to supply water to the Kathmandu Valley from the project by mid-April. He had also directed the Chinese contractor to clear the debris collected at the headworks of the project in time so that water could be channeled through the 27-kilometre-long main tunnel, which ends at the Sundarijal-based reservoir.
But the minister's plan to bring water to the valley by mid-April will not be met as the contractor has shown its inability to remove the boulders, pebbles and sand from the headworks and surrounding area before the onset of the monsoon. After the contractor found it difficult to remove the debris collected inside the main gate of the headworks, the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board (MWSD) has made preparations to channel water from the Melamchi River into the tunnel through an alternative route. The MSWD is planning to channel the water directly into the Ambathan audit tunnel from Gate No 1. For this, Gate No 9 that leads out of the Ambathan audit will have to be closed. Earlier, the MWSD had said the 211-metre-long headworks tunnel was safe from the June 15 and July 30 flooding last year as the main gate at the headworks was closed on time.
The concerned officials have decided to divert the water to Gate No 1 as a temporary measure after it was realised that it was impossible to remove several metres-thick debris collected over hundreds of square metres on the hilltops around the headworks. However, channeling the water directly inside the main tunnel bypassing the headworks might cause permanent damage to the main tunnel. This is only a temporary measure taken until the headworks can be cleared of the debris. Should the alternative plan work, the people of the valley would be able to get water from the project by mid-July. But officials at the MWSD are not sure about the future of the multi-million dollar project when the monsoon starts as the hills upstream of the headworks are still eroding mainly because of the 2015 massive earthquake.
Removing the debris collected close to the headworks will make no sense unless the government comes out with a long-term plan of stabilising the hills upstream of the project. The government and independent experts, who inspected the area immediately after the landslides and floods, had advised building check dams at vulnerable places to control the flow of boulders, pebbles and sand down to the project area. This will, however, take time and involve billons of rupees. Twenty-six years after the project was envisaged, authorities had channeled 170 million litres of water a day to the valley from March 28 last year for a few days only before it was shut for a final inspection. The main question here is whether the project will come into full operation even after the debris that has accumulated in and around the headworks is removed as the geological condition of the entire region appears to be fragile, and there is no guarantee that the next monsoon rains will not further damage the entire man-made structure. So, we need to find a lasting solution to this problem before we can expect to quench our thirst from the project.
Dhaka brand
Nepal's traditional handloom fabric, dhaka, shows great promise of becoming an export commodity if it could be promoted. Coming in brilliant colours and intricate geometric designs, the fabric was used mostly to make the traditional Nepali cap or worn as shawls by women. However, over the decades, the fabric has increasingly come to be used in fashion wear, from men's coats to skirts, frocks and sarees for women. Dhaka cloth today also finds popularity as curtains, bed sheets and pillow cases. The textile is produced in a host of districts of Nepal from east to west, but the fabric woven in Palpa, known as Palpali Dhaka, has created a brand of its own and is largely coveted by the people.
The government's decision to declare Palpa as the capital of dhaka fabric the other day is, thus, most laudable, which should go a long way in promoting and further developing the textile. India has done an excellent job in promoting its handspun and woven khadi, which today has taken the fancy of the middle class. Nepal could do the same with the dhaka fabric. For this, the government - provincial or central - must provide all assistance to help develop weaving as well as entrepreneurial skills of women in particular.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 29, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
