The diversion of the Melamchi water towards Kathmandu valley will be stopped from last week of May or not late than the first week of June or commence of Monsoon rain.

Rajendra Prasad Panta, spokesperson for the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee, told The Rising Nepal that the water supply from the Melamchi drinking water project would be halted once the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology forecast heavy rainfall to begin the monsoon season. “The supply might be stopped from the third week of May or even sooner,” he added.

Department Of Hydrology And Meteorology is yet to announce the date of monsoon rain this year. The DoHM will likely to announce the date within a week,

The water supply was halted following floods and landslides in Melamchi in mid-June and mid-July 2021, which caused significant damage to the headworks areas of the project. As a result, Melamchi’s water is currently available only for a few months during the dry season.

Panta said that due to the risk of landslides and floods, regular supply of drinking water cannot be ensured during the rainy season. “While other parts of the structures remain intact, the destruction of the headworks prevents year-round water flow. Foul water and debris could enter the 25.9 km long tunnel, potentially blocking it. If the tunnel becomes blocked, it would be challenging to clean,” he said.

After the destruction of headworks, the water flow was halted on June 1, 2022, and again on June 22, 2023, and this year too water supply will be stopped once more as soon as the rainy season starts, he added.

“If we close the tunnel to prevent debris from entering it, there is a possibility of resuming water supply soon after the monsoon season ends, with no remaining hassles for cleaning, as other infrastructures at the project site are all right,” Panta said.

According to Panta, the study report for shifting the headworks 800 metres to one kilometre upward of the present site has already been presented by Asian Development Bank (ADB). The ADB submitted the study report for shifting the headworks in August 2022. The conceptual design has already been conducted, but the only part that is lacking is the detailed design, as we are awaiting the government’s decision to allow the detailed study and other procedures.