Melamchi Water Supply Project is again a hot topic of discussion after the concept of making Melamchi a multipurpose project by adding hydro-electricity and irrigation components in it is made public. If Melamchi could be developed as a multipurpose project, not only the valley denizens but also the people of Sindhupalchok and tarai can get benefits from the project.
Earlier, the project was limited to drinking water supply in the Kathmandu valley. The time has come to review the concept, designed 30 years ago to bring 170 million litres of water to the valley daily. If Melamchi is completed in old concept, then the water demand of the valley can be met for a short-term only. The Melamchi should be completed without any further delay as the underground water level in the valley has decreased and the population has increased unexpectedly in the past decade. The Melamchi should be a long-term solution of the drinking water problem in the valley together with the completion of the project without further delay.
The water demand in the valley will reach 310 million litres daily by 2010 A.D whereas the Melamchi Water Supply Project will not be completed before 2013. By the time the water demand will reach 400 million litres daily. Although it is said to add 800 thousand litres of water in the project, constructed under old concept, but that would also not be enough to meet the increasing water demand in the future. The project should be made sustainable right from the beginning considering the difficulties in reconstructing the already completed project.
Experts say that 225 megawatt electricity can be generated and 30,000 hectare land of tarai can be irrigated together with supplying drinking water to the valley by using the Melamchi for the benefit of maximum population. According to water resource expert Ratna Sansar Shrestha, it is possible to bring 1billion 120 million litres of water daily in the Kathmandu valley from the multipurpose Melamchi project. As the water would be more than demand in the Kathmandu valley, the surplus water can be flown into the Bagmati River. The polluted Bagmati will revive and the environment of the valley will improve with a cleaner Bagmati.
According to new concept, the water from Balephi River should be added in the Melamchi, Yangri and Larke rivers to make Melamchi a multipurpose project. Three additional tunnels should be constructed gradually to add water from Yangri, Balephi and Larke River in the Melamchi River. But, the 3.7m diameter of present proposed tunnel will be smaller to bring in that volume of water to the Kathmandu valley. So, the diameter of the tunnel should be increased from 3.7m to 5m. It will not cost much to increase the diameter of the tunnel. Experts say that the multipurpose Melamchi project could be completed within six years.
A total of 225-megawatt electricity can be generated including 190 MW in lower Bagmati and 35 MW in Melamchi after adding water from the three rivers in the Melamchi River. After generating electricity at two places in lower Bagmati, the surplus water can be used to irrigate thousands of hectares of lands of Rautahat and Sarlahi alongside the banks of Bagmati River using the present Bagmati barrage. There are thousands of hectares of cultivable lands in tarai left barren due to lack of irrigation facility in the dry season.
Usually, it is not possible to generate electricity, supply drinking water and provide irrigation facility from a single project but, Melamchi can be made a regionally beneficial project because of favourable geographical conditions. We can take many advantages from Melamchi if we could develop it as a multipurpose project.
If Melamchi is constructed according to old concept, the local residents cannot get benefit from the project and the people of Karnali have to bear the burden of loan received from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for drinking water supply in the capital city. The obstructions from the locals will dilute and thirst of the Kathmanduites will be quenched if Melamchi can be made a multipurpose project.
The water demand in the valley will reach 310 million litres daily by 2010 A.D whereas the Melamchi Water Supply Project will not be completed before 2013. By the time the water demand will reach 400 million litres daily. Although it is said to add 800 thousand litres of water in the project, constructed under old concept, but that would also not be enough to meet the increasing water demand in the future. The project should be made sustainable right from the beginning considering the difficulties in reconstructing the already completed project.
Experts say that 225 megawatt electricity can be generated and 30,000 hectare land of tarai can be irrigated together with supplying drinking water to the valley by using the Melamchi for the benefit of maximum population. According to water resource expert Ratna Sansar Shrestha, it is possible to bring 1billion 120 million litres of water daily in the Kathmandu valley from the multipurpose Melamchi project. As the water would be more than demand in the Kathmandu valley, the surplus water can be flown into the Bagmati River. The polluted Bagmati will revive and the environment of the valley will improve with a cleaner Bagmati.
According to new concept, the water from Balephi River should be added in the Melamchi, Yangri and Larke rivers to make Melamchi a multipurpose project. Three additional tunnels should be constructed gradually to add water from Yangri, Balephi and Larke River in the Melamchi River. But, the 3.7m diameter of present proposed tunnel will be smaller to bring in that volume of water to the Kathmandu valley. So, the diameter of the tunnel should be increased from 3.7m to 5m. It will not cost much to increase the diameter of the tunnel. Experts say that the multipurpose Melamchi project could be completed within six years.
A total of 225-megawatt electricity can be generated including 190 MW in lower Bagmati and 35 MW in Melamchi after adding water from the three rivers in the Melamchi River. After generating electricity at two places in lower Bagmati, the surplus water can be used to irrigate thousands of hectares of lands of Rautahat and Sarlahi alongside the banks of Bagmati River using the present Bagmati barrage. There are thousands of hectares of cultivable lands in tarai left barren due to lack of irrigation facility in the dry season.
Usually, it is not possible to generate electricity, supply drinking water and provide irrigation facility from a single project but, Melamchi can be made a regionally beneficial project because of favourable geographical conditions. We can take many advantages from Melamchi if we could develop it as a multipurpose project.
If Melamchi is constructed according to old concept, the local residents cannot get benefit from the project and the people of Karnali have to bear the burden of loan received from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for drinking water supply in the capital city. The obstructions from the locals will dilute and thirst of the Kathmanduites will be quenched if Melamchi can be made a multipurpose project.
Source: Gorkhapatra, January 17, 2008
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