Sindhupalchowk, May 31: Reconstruction and repair of physical infrastructures including dam, audit tunnel, head box, bridges and the entrance of Melamchi Water Project in Ambathan, Sindhupalchowk district, which was damaged by the massive flood of June 15, 2021, has not progressed yet. Failing to complete reconstruction works before the onset of monsoon means that there will a problem in sending drinking water to the capital.  

Water is being supplied to Kathmandu by constructing a temporary road at the dam site after general tunnel maintenance. Taking water to the capital might face major obstacles in the future if the infrastructures are not repaired permanently. To date, no interest has been shown for its permanent solution. 

Water of the Yangri and Larke Khola rivers has been flown into Melamchi without repairing the structures. There is a high risk that the remaining structures would be swept away by floods in the coming rainy season. So far, only debris has been removed from the site.  

Kamal Raj Shrestha, executive director of the project, said that they had made an agreement with the road department to rebuild the structures by ensuring resources worth Rs. 800 million. 

The reconstruction work has lately been stuck because of confusion on how to go ahead with the reconstruction of the structures damaged by the flood, he added.

Companies China Railway and CMC-25 Sino Hydro were awarded the contract for the repair works along with the construction of 27,000-metre-long main tunnel and water treatment centre with a capacity of 1.7 billion liters.

The government last year spent Rs.61 billion on construction and maintenance to bring Melamchi water temporarily to the capital. At the same time, the piles of debris, stones, muds and others were removed from the tunnel site. 

But the government has not shown its seriousness to rebuild and repair the damaged physical structure of the project, diminishing the prospect of Melamchi water reaching the capital during the rainy season, said a local.