KATHMANDU, Feb 5: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has warned that the Kathmandu Valley residents will be facing a severe drinking water shortage if an amount of Rs 310 million is not handed to the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) immediately. Secretary of the ministry, Bhim Prasad Upadhyay gave this warning while speaking at a meeting of the Parliament’s Development Committee on Friday.
Informing the parliament that water supply pipes were damaged while digging up roads for laying pipes for the Melmachi Drinking Water Project and other works, secretary Upadhyay claimed that the valley would face a severe water crunch within a few weeks if Rs 310 million was not handed to the ministry immediately for repairing the damaged pipes.
Melamchi water for the people outside Ring Road as well: KUKL
“If the KUKL is not given the money within a week for repairing the damaged pipes, then it won’t be able to supply drinking water in the valley in the dry season,” warned Secretary Upadhyay.
At the meeting, Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, however, said that the government bodies which damaged the water supply pipes while digging up the roads have to repair the damaged pipes.
Kathmandu Valley Development Authority Commissioner Bhiakaji Tiwari said that the vehicles were carrying the dust produced by the digging up the roads on to the blacktopped roads, making the valley dusty and dirty.
Executive Director of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Rudra Singh Tamang claimed that pipes had been laid out on around 206 kilometers of road sections which had been blacktopped. “Rs 90 million has been allocated to repair the dug up roads which are narrower than 8 meters. The work will be completed within this year,” said Tamang.
