Melamchi resumes water supply to Kathmandu from today

Melamchi Project has resumed to pump water to the Kathmandu Valley from today.

The supply of water from Melamchi River in Sindhupalchowk to the Kathmandu Valley was disrupted after major floods and landslides in Sindhupalchowk some 10 months ago.

Minister for Water Supply Umakanta Chaudhary inaugurated the distribution of drinking water from the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Ltd (KUKL) branch office at New Baneshwar.

The mega project funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB) that promised to quench the thirst of Kathmandu Valley was damaged by the devastating flood on 15 June, 2021. The flood damaged head works of the project obstructing the water supply that was just started few weeks ago. 

The water distribution in the Kathmandu Valley has resumed today after the reconstruction of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project, the KUKL confirmed.

Minister Chaudhary had started the transfer of water from the head works of the project to the tunnel on April 12. Then, the water was purified at a treatment plant in Sundarijal before sending to 10 reservoir tanks of KUKL.

From today, the drinking water is being distributed to the Valley houses through pipes. But the water supply could be again halted when the rainy season starts, though the KUKL has claimed to have prepared the alternative to supply the drinking water. However, it seems a far fetched idea.

The Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) have targeted to distribute some 270 million liters of water on a daily basis. Of the amount, some 100 million liters will be supplied through the distribution mechanism of the KUKL, while the rest of 170 million liters will be supplied from MWSP.

Front today, the households connected to the water pipeline system in all the locations inside the Ring Road area will receive the water supplied jointly by the MWSP and the KUKL. Likewise, the water is supplied also to the locals of Kirtipur and Madhyapur, Bhaktapur from today.