Tunnel may be completed by mid-2016 despite teething troubles

The Melamchi Drinking Water Project - future of which appeared bleak after China Railway 15 Bureau Group, a Chinese construction company, one-sidedly cancelled a tunnel-construction contract with the government in November 2012 - was revived early this year.

After CMC Cooperativa Muratori e Cementisti di Ravenna, a leading construction company of Italy, agreed to complete the diversion tunnel construction work, the government had expressed its commitment to supply water of Melamchi River to the Kathmandu Valley by mid-2016.

The contract involves the construction of the tunnel to divert 170 million liters of water per day from Melamchi to Sundarijal (in Kathmandu), where the water would undergo treatment before going into the bulk distribution system.

"You people (the valley residents) should feel relaxed. You all will get to drink Melamchi River's water by mid-2016," Kishor Thapa, Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development, reportedly said on 1 January 2014 - just after Italy's CMC company resumed the tunnel construction work. "The Melamchi project will be completed in just 30 months."

However, two months later, the Italian company is yet to start full-fledged tunnel construction works. According to Krishna Acharya, Executive Director of the project, heavy equipments ordered by the Italian company are yet to arrive at the project site.

As per the schedule, the company should have started full-fledged tunnel construction works two weeks ago. However, due to the delay in transportation of heavy equipments, timely completion of the tunnel construction work remains uncertain.

However, Acharya says they are still hopeful that the Italian company will meet the deadline. "The Italian company has assured us that it will meet the deadline by speeding up the work," said Acharya. "So, the initial delay is unlikely to affect the project schedule."

The Melamchi project, which is expected to end the perennial water crisis in the Kathmandu Valley, has faced several ups and downs. As a result, despite commitments by the government as well as political leaders, its successful completion has always been doubted by the valley residents.

Of late, the Melamchi project had appeared in disarray when China Railway, which was to dig a 26.5km tunnel in four and a half years, dug just 6.5 km of tunnel in more than three years. Later, it returned to China, cancelling the contract from its side, citing its inability to complete the project due to frequent strikes, inflation, problems with payment and lack of support from the government.

Later, on 15 July 2013, the government signed a new contract with the Italian company. The contract with the Italian company will expire in September 2016. As the Italian company aims to finish the tunnel construction work about six months before the expiry of the contract, the initial delay is unlikely to cause troubles, said Acharya.

The government of Nepal is contributing 20 per cent and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing 80 per cent loan assistance for the tunnel's construction.