Miscellaneous
‘80pc of Melamchi pipeline laying works completed’
The Project Implementation Directorate (PID) under the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the responsible body for supplying water from the Melamchi Water Supply Project to the Kathmandu Valley households, has said that it has completed nearly 80 per cent of the pipeline installation works.The Project Implementation Directorate (PID) under the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the responsible body for supplying water from the Melamchi Water Supply Project to the Kathmandu Valley households, has said that it has completed nearly 80 per cent of the pipeline installation works.
Sharing the project’s progress with the media on Friday, the PID said that it has completed most of the works that includes laying of nearly 650 km pipeline and around 60 km of Bulk Distribution System (BDS). The total distance of pipeline and BDS is 670km and 66km respectively.
Likewise, around 45,186 households have been connected with new tap lines which will deliver water of Melamchi.
Besides, the PID has also been working on construction of service reservoir tanks, which is going on smoothly, according to Divakar Dhakal, deputy project director of
the PID.
A total of nine reservoir tanks have been built in different parts of the Valley.
Ninety per cent of the work of six such reservoirs has been completed while on average 40 per cent work of remaining has been done.
Reservoir tanks at Aarubari, Mahankal, Bansbari, Pani Pokhari, two of Khumaltar are nearing completion.
Other tanks at Tikini of Thimi, Kirtipur and Katunje of Bhaktapur have seen relatively low progress, said Dhakal.
“We have done most of the pipe laying works, but we are yet to start metre installation. Once the water from Melamchi comes, we will first flush out these pipes, which might have become dirty as they were laid two years ago,” said Dhakal. “We will then add high dose of chlorine for disinfection of these pipes before starting the metre installation and water supply.”
According to the PID estimates, it will take months to deliver water through new pipeline, even if most of the works are completed on time.
Only 412 metres of the 27 km tunnel of Melamchi project remains to be dug, which could take more than a month. After the tunnel breakthrough, Dhakal said it would take at least another 100 days to apply the finishing touches.
“Once water comes to the Sundarijal reservoir, it will take us another five-six months before delivering water to households with the new pipeline. We will take time for flushing out the pipes,” said Dhakal, adding transferring water supply from old to new tap system, cleaning pipes and setting up metres will be done during this period.
In the meantime, the PID plans to supply the water through the existing pipeline once the water comes to Sundarijal, while slowly switching the water supply to new pipeline system.
“Our line from Sundarijal to Mahankal is already clear. Water will be stored at the Mahankal tanks and supplied through existing pipeline system. We aim to supply water throughout the Valley with the newly laid pipeline, but it will take some time,” added Dhakal.
However, not every area will get water in the first phase, when water will be supplied through the old pipelines from the Mahankal reservoir, according to Dhakal.
Pipeline laying work at places like Kalanki, Balaju and Balkhu has yet to begin.