Water from Melamchi River set to reach Kathmandu today, PM to visit Sundarijal to witness the historic moment

Published On: March 6, 2021 11:25 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, March 6: The much-awaited water from Malamchi Drinking Water Project is set to arrive in Kathmandu on Saturday.

The water supplied from Helambu-- the source of Melamchi River-- in the 22-km long tunnel is reaching Sundarijal in Kathmandu on Saturday afternoon.

Prime Minister's Foreign Relations Advisor Dr Rajan Bhattarai said Prime Minister Oli is scheduled to witness the historic moment of the water from Melamchi River reaching Sundarijal at 5 pm.

Earlier on February 22, the Malamchi Drinking Water Project had supplied water in the tunnel to test if it still had some technical glitches after the tunnel construction was completed. The Melamchi Drinking Water Project has built water treatment plant in Sundarijal to treat water brought from Melamchi River before supplying to the households in Kathmandu Valley

The drinking water is expected to be available to people in Kathmandu Valley within a few months if things go as planned. As both the Sundarijal Water Treatment Plant and distribution pipes also need to be tested, people in Kathmandu Valley are likely to get access to Melamchi Drinking Water from the month of April.

The project had conducted similar testing last July. However, four employees at the Melamchi Drinking Water Project were swept away by the Melamchi River when a water tunnel burst out. Two of them were rescued immediately while two others lost their lives in the incident. The testing of the tunnel was then postponed in the view of technical problems.

In the view of possible catastrophe, a rescue plan has been set up and a helicopter has been kept in stand by, according to officials at the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.

After the testing of the Melamchi Drinking Water tunnel, testing of water distribution pipe lines will be conducted. Once the testing is completed the water will then be distributed to the public in Kathmandu Valley.

The Melamchi Drinking Water Project can bring in 51,000,000 liters of water daily in the Valley. During the testing, 300 liters of water will be passed through the tunnel per second.