Melamchi water to be distributed from next week

KATHMANDU: Melamchi Water Supply Development Board has started diverting Melamchi water into the tunnel which takes water to Kathmandu Valley.

The board had closed the 26-kilometer tunnel in June to prevent floodwaters from flowing into the tunnel.

According to Rajendra Panta, the spokesperson of the board, Melamchi water will reach the Sundarijal-based water treatment plant in Kathmandu after a week.

Since the tunnel had remained closed since June, the board is diverting a limited quantity of water into the tunnel. It plans to divert 175 million liters per day after a week.

Officials of the board say water collected in the tunnel for a week will be used to clean the tunnel. The board plan to supply the water to consumers after a week only.

Melamchi water was first diverted to the tunnel in February 2021. However, the Melamchi floods in the monsoon of the same year washed away the headworks at the project site. Though the headworks have been rehabilitated, officials shut the tunnel in this year’s monsoon to prevent possible damage to the project infrastructure.