President launches distribution of Melamchi drinking water; PM vows to bring more water by 2024

Kathmandu / April 2: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has launched the distribution of drinking water under Melamchi Water Supply Project in Kathmandu, on Friday.

The President formally begun the water distribution in Kathmandu, following the arrival of the much-awaited Melamchi water, by releasing water through a tap constructed at Bhrikutimandap.

The water taps in Bhrikutimandap have been constructed to supply water 24 hours which will be available for public usage.Earlier, Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) officials had inaugurated the water supply distribution in the valley by releasing 40 million litres of water to 98,000 households.

PM Oli announces to bring water from Yangri and Larke Rivers in Kathmandu Valley by 2024

Prime Minister K P Oli has announced to bring water from Yangri and Larke Rivers in Kathmandu within the next three years.

Addressing a function organized in the capital to inaugurate the distribution of water distribution from the Melamchi Drinking Water Project on Friday, Prime Minister Oli said that efforts are already underway to bring in water from Yangri and Larke Rivers in Sindhupalchowk district by 2024 AD. President Bidya Devi Bhandari officially inaugurated the supply of drinking water from Melamchi Drinking Water Project amidst a special function held at Brikutimandap in Kathmandu on Friday.

Prime Minister Oli argued that there is no difficulty to bring water from Yangri and Larke Rivers as a 26.5-kilometer long tunnel to bring water from Melamchi River has been already constructed. “I do not know how long this takes from a technical viewpoint. But this should not take more than three years,” said the prime minister.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Oli also directed the Ministry of Drinking Water to work actively to realize the plan to bring in the water from Yangri and Larke Rivers within the stipulated time.

Melamchi Drinking Water Supply Project is designed to divert about 170 million liters of water daily to Kathmandu Valley from the Melamchi River. The government plans to augment the supply of water by adding further 170 million liters of water daily from the Yangri and Larke Rivers as a second phase of the Melamchi Project. Both these rivers lie in the upstream proximity of the Melamchi Rivers.

Addressing the function, Secretary at the Ministry of Drinking Water Madhav Belbase said the second phase of Melamchi Drinking Water Project is already underway. He also expressed commitment to complete the tasks of within the stipulated deadline, learning from the experiences and lessons learned from the first phase of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.