SINDHUPALCHOWK, Feb 15: Tunneling work of Melamchi Drinking Water Project is in its last leg.

Project officials say they are likely to achieve a breakthrough in the last section of the tunnel within a month.

“After drilling through 260 more meters, we will complete digging the 27.5-kilometer tunnel,” deputy director of the project, Bhoj Bikram Thapa, told Republica.

Of the three tunnel sections, the Sundarijal-Sindhu section was completed in December, 2016, while the 5.2-kilometer Gyalthum-Ambathan was completed on December 29, 2017. 
According to the project, an average of eight meters is being dug per day. If construction progresses in the same pace, the project can wrap up the tunneling work in 32 days.

“But as the contractor has expressed commitment to dig 12 meters per day, we can wrap up tunneling work earlier,” Thapa added.

However, tunnel breakthrough alone will not be enough to channel Melamchi waters to the processing plant at Sundarijal. The project will need to complete concrete works after tunnel digging is completed. Likewise, it also needs to build a diversion channel at the Ambathan which is expected to take six months.

 
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