Timely completion of Melamchi project challenging

MELAMCHI, Dec 20:

For some years, the news on the much-awaited Melamchi Drinking Water Project has been a figure of fun among the people.

Every government announces the date of two or three years or so as the duration of the completion of project, said to drench the parched Kathmandu Valley with the water from the Melamchi River of neighbouring Sindhupalchowk district, but in vain.

This time too, news has surfaced that the Melamchi Drinking Water Project would be completed by mid April 2016. Though it has kindled hope among the Kathmanduities, who are facing acute shortage of drinking water, the obstructions of the project are galore.

The quick completion of the project was rumored again after the recent Italian contractor of the project, Cooperativa Muratori and Cementisti di Ravenna said it would accomplish the task by mid April 2016, six month earlier than it had fixed the time as the project completion date (September 30, 2016).

Once the contractor accomplishes the project before the contracted date of completion, it would get the daily bonus up to Rs 4 million. It has been one of the encouraging factors that the contractor has informed of early completion of the project.

However, the contractor must compensate equally of the bonus if he fails to complete the project within the contracted deadline.

The construction of the Project, begun to address the growing need of drinking water in the Kathmandu Valley, in 2000, has so far made 35 percent progress. Just 9-km out of 26.5-km long tunnel is constructed till date.

In the past 14 years, half of the time spent on feasibility study of the project, road construction, infrastructure building, compensation to the land owners and others.

Sharing the achievements, the Melamchi Water Supply Development Board informed that it has spent Rs 843 million for the construction of 66-km-long road, camp, and compensation for lands. Similarly, Rs 360 million was spent for the social upliftment program under the Project.

The Project is designed to supply the Melamchi River water from Helambu VDC of Sindhupalchowk district to Sundarijal, north-east outskirt of Kathmandu, through a 26.5-km long tunnel. It was sketched in 1999. After two years, the Asian Development Bank had approved the loan of 120 million USD for the project.

The daily supply of as much as 170 million litres of water in the Kathmandu Valley is expected with the completion of the project.

The contractors of the projects have been changed time and again leaving the projects in lurch, resulting in protracted construction activities.

For the early construction, the Muratori and Cementisti, effective from 1 October 2013, has expedited the work by digging for tunnel from six different places.

However, the contractor´s company said the hindrances it has witnessed in the project are- the geographical difficulty, water leakage, obstruction from locals, strike and shut down, attitude of breaking contracts.

Similarly, lack of explosives, skilled human resources, effective tools and language difficulty were other hindrances.

Currently, 31-meter in average is dug daily for tunnel.

However, the contractor company needs to dig 40-m daily to complete the work and get bonus.

During the recent onsite inspection of the project, Chairman of Legislature-Parliament´s Development Committee, Rabindra Adhikari said, "They could not see the progress made as informed. Currently, there is no obstruction from the locals. However, we are hopeful that the project would complete by mid April 2016.

Source: Republica