Melamchi hits rough weather yet again
SINDHUPALCHOK, March 9:
Much to the dismay of the residents of the water crisis-hit Kathmandu valley, the government´s ambitious Melamchi project has hit rough weather yet again.
Melamchi Drinking Water Project, future of which appeared bleak after China Railway, a Chinese construction company, one-sidedly cancelled a tunnel-construction contract with the government in November 2012, was revived early this year.
After CMC Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti di Ravenna, a leading construction company of Italy, agreed to complete the tunnel construction work, the government had expressed its commitment to supply water of Melamchi River to the Kathmandu valley by mid-2016.
"You people (the valley residents) feel relaxed. You all shall get to drink Melamchi River´s water by Mid-2016," Kishor Thapa, Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development, reportedly said on January 1, 2014 - just after Italy´s CMC company resumed the tunnel construction work. "The Melamchi project will be completed in just 30 months."
However, two months later, the Italian company is yet to start full-fledged tunnel construction works. According to Krishna Acharya, Executive Director of the project, heavy equipment ordered by the Italian company are yet to arrive in the project site.
As per the schedule, the company should have started full-fledged tunnel construction works by two weeks ago. However, due to the delay in transportation of heavy equipments, timely completion of the tunnel construction work remains uncertain.
However, Acharya says they are still hopeful that the Italian company will meet the deadline. "The Italian company has assured us that it will meet the deadline by speeding up the work," said Acharya. "So, the initial delay is unlikely to affect the project schedule."
The Melamchi project, which is expected to end the perennial water crisis in the Kathmandu Valley, has faced several ups and downs. As a result, despite commitments by the government as well as political leaders, its successful completion has always been doubted by the valley residents.
Of late, the Melamchi project had appeared in disarray when China Railway, which was to dig a 26.5 kilometer-tunnel in four and a half years, dug just 6.5 kilometer-tunnel in more than three years. Later, it returned to China, cancelling the contract from its side citing its inability to complete the project due to frequent strike and inflation.
Later, on July 15, 2013, the government signed a new contract with the Italian company. The contract with the Italian company will expire in September, 2016. As the Italian company aims to finish the tunnel construction work about six months before the expiry of the contract, the initial delay is unlikely to cause troubles, said Acharya.
Source: Republica
