Ministry of Water Supply issues notice urging officials and employees not to doubt quality of Melamchi water

KATHMANDU, Jan 17: The Ministry of Water Supply issued a notice on Wednesday, urging its officials and employees not to doubt the quality of Melamchi water distributed since January 15. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the redistribution of Melamchi water on Monday morning.

The Ministry of Water Supply has requested its subordinate officials and employees not to have any doubts about the quality of Melamchi water, asking them not to believe rumors as the employees under the ministry themselves expressed uncertainty about the quality of water.

The Ministry of Water Supply issued a notice on Wednesday, appealing to all agencies associated with water production and distribution both within and outside the ministry not to question the quality of water.

The ministry has given information that the water is processed at the Melamchi Water Project's treatment plant at Sundarijal and distributed in accordance with the standards of the World Health Organization.

The notice reads, “Because the old distribution pipelines have not been in operation for a long time, there may be temporarily discolored water for some time during water distribution due to the soil residue in the pipes.”

The ministry has also said that a committee has been formed under the coordination of Padam Bahadur Kunwar, senior divisional engineer of Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee, to address the possible problems that may arise during water distribution.

Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) Deputy Manager Umeshbabu Marhattha, Project Implementation Directorate’s Senior Divisional Engineer Bikesh Badhanthyache and Engineer Dipesh Dhakal of KUKL have been placed in the committee. The contact numbers of the committee members have also been mentioned in the issued notice.

The notice also informs the public about the distribution of Melamchi water through the new pipelines in areas where testing has been completed and through the old distribution network in untested areas.

It is stated in the notice that the committee has been formed with the purpose of monitoring whether Melamchi's drinking water is distributed in a balanced manner, if there is a leak in any place during water distribution, and to gather information about areas experiencing water shortages or discoloration.