Kathmandu, December 20
The government in the annual budget plan for the current fiscal year had announced to restore the Melamchi Water Supply Project and bring back its water to the Kathmandu valley by April 2022. However, it is unlikely to succeed.
With just four months remaining to meet the deadline, the government has not appointed a contractor for the project, let alone begun construction works.
The Melamchi Water Supply Development Board has proposed the Chinese Sino Hydro as the contractor. However, the government is yet to make a decision.
Rajendra Panta, the board’s spokesperson, says the extended contract signed with the Chinese company before the monsoon floods destroyed the infrastructure already expired; hence, only the cabinet can extend it further.
“Only after extending the contract, we can form a committee for cost variation following a technical and economic analysis of the project,” Panta says, “Only then, the workers could be mobilised.”
If the government chooses to bring in another contractor, the process will further delay the project, warns Panta.
A massive flood in the Sindhupalchok town in June 2021 has severely damaged the infrastructures of the project making it unable to resume the water supply to the capital suspended for two months for some technical works. The project launched the water supply just in March 2021.
