Minister Ghising urges to resolve Melamchi water supply issue

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure, Transport and Urban Development Kulman Ghising has urged Helambu Rural Municipality to take necessary initiatives to remove the obstacles surfaced at the source area of   the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.

Water supply to the Kathmandu Valley was halted after project-affected local people blocked the water diversion, demanding the implementation of past agreements. On Monday, Minister Ghising met with Helambu Rural Municipality chairperson Nima Gyaljen Sherpa and requested cooperation and initiative to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

Minister Ghising said that the government is ready to resolve past agreements and current demands through talks and discussions, and urged the government to take the problem seriously as water shortages are increasing in the Kathmandu Valley. He also said that the government is committed to removing obstacles and bringing drinking water to Kathmandu.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who is also currently holding the Ministry of Drinking Water, had directed that immediate initiatives to take to resolve the problems seen in the Melamchi Project. Similarly, Helambu Rural Municipality chairman Sherpa said that the government itself should implement the past agreements. He said that the demands of the compensate affected areas include the land taken by the project, payment of house rent, payment of outstanding amounts to local suppliers of the previous construction contractor CMC, construction of the road from Melamchi Bazaar to Melamchi Ghyang. The demands also a 25 percent share of revenue from water supplied to local causes for the development of Helambu Rural Municipality.

Notably, an agreement was reached on this issue four years ago on October 21, 2078 BS between the then Minister of Water Supply, the Melamchi Water Supply Flood Victims Struggle Committee, Helambu Rural Municipality, and representatives of local political parties. According to the ministry, the government is moving towards implementing the agreement and it is expected that the obstacles will be removed soon.

The affected locals halted drinking water distribution in the Kathmandu Valley since Friday. The locals diverted Melamchi water brought to Kathmandu back into the river and blocked it.

The Melamchi Water Supply Flood Victims Sangharsha Committee had returned the water sent to the tunnel to the river on Thursday, saying that the agreement made in the presence of the then Water Supply Minister Pradeep Yadav last year was not implemented.

Consequently, the distribution system of the valley has been greatly affected after the daily supply of about 200 million liters of water sent to the tunnel was stopped.