KATHMANDU, Jan 1: Nearly three decades after the Mahakali Treaty was signed between Nepal and India, water is yet to flow through the main canal of the Mahakali Irrigation Project’s third phase, raising questions about its implementation despite significant investment.
Under the treaty, India is required to release 300 cusecs of water to Nepal from the Tanakpur Barrage during the dry season and 1,000 cusecs during the monsoon. Nepal has developed parts of the irrigation infrastructure on the assumption that treaty-mandated water would be supplied. However, the Indian side has not shown commitment to regular releases, although water was earlier released twice for trial runs of the main canal.
Meanwhile, the third phase of the national pride project has completed sections of the main canal and several branch canals up to the constructed areas and has been formally demanding water. Despite steady progress in physical infrastructure, uncertainty remains over when water will actually flow through the canal.
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Launched 18 years ago with the goal of irrigating 33,520 hectares of land in Kanchanpur and Kailali, the Mahakali Irrigation Project has achieved only 27 percent progress so far, despite an investment of around Rs 9 billion.
According to the project office, a contract worth Rs 1.97 billion has been signed for the construction of a 19-kilometre main canal up to Malakheti in Kailali, to be completed in four phases. Project Engineer Rajesh Pokhrel said repeated correspondence has been made through the department and the ministry to secure irrigation water.
“When we coordinate with India’s NHPC, they say all structures are ready to release water once instructions come from higher authorities,” Pokhrel said, adding that pressure has also been applied from Nepal’s side, but initiative is required at the top political level.
Former Sudurpaschim Province minister and provincial assembly member Prakash Rawal stressed that the federal government must take the issue seriously to complete the project on time and deliver irrigation facilities to farmers. “There is still no clarity on when water will flow in the main canal,” he said, noting that provincial and local governments have been forced to rely on groundwater irrigation as an alternative.
Rawal also recalled that during his tenure as provincial minister, the project had written to the provincial government to halt funding for groundwater irrigation. “If the project cannot be completed on time, alternatives must be pursued,” he said. “Calling it a national pride project is not enough—the centre must take concrete initiative.”
Social activist Liladhwaj Basnet of Mahendranagar attributed the current impasse to the haste with which the treaty was signed. “Because the agreement was made without adequate study, we are now in a situation where billions have been spent but water still does not flow in the main canal,” he said.
