6 March 2021, Kathmandu
Water from the much-hyped Melamchi Drinking Water Project will reach at the treatment plant at Sundarijal today.
Prime Minister KP Oli will observe this test at Sundarijal today, said Tiresh Khatri, Executive Director of the Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee.
It is said that PM Oli will observe the water flow around 5 PM on Saturday.
Water was poured into a 26-kilometer-long tunnel from the source of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project on March 25.
At present, 260 liters per second of water has been pumped into the tunnel for testing. After the completion of the test, 170 million liters of water will reach Sundarijal from the tunnel every day, said Khatri.
After this successful test, the government plans to provide Melamchi water in Kathmandu within three months.
Similarly, the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board has appealed to the locals to remain alert, saying the water level in Bagmati river might rise while testing the water supply project tunnel.
Saying water has been released in the tunnel for the trial from February 22, the Board said that the water will reach Sundarijal on Saturday and some amount of water would go in Bagmati river directly.
Information Officer of the Board, Rajendra Prasad Panta, said that they have urged the locals to adopt precaution as water level might surge suddenly.
He added, “Water will reach Sundarijal today. So locals from Sundarijal to Balkhu are requested to remain alert.”
Construction of the tunnel was completed last year, and it was tested in the month of July 2021 after its completion. An incident took place when the water flow broke the tunnel sluice gate in the course of the trial and the Board has carried out test of the tunnel again after correcting the mistake.
Water of Melamchi drinking water supply project would be distributed through the distribution system of Kathmandu Valley within next month if no problem is found in course of tunnel test.
