E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, MAR 18 - Slight relief’s two years away for parched denizens of the Kathmandu Valley, so say officials at the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), the utility tasked with the distribution of drinking water in the valley.

Completion of the Rs. 1.21 billion pre-Melamchi project, launched last year, means 55 million litres of water will come through valley taps every day on top of the existing quantum, thereby providing some respite to the denizens, who have been making do with 160 million litres and 100 million litres of KUKL-supplied water in wet and

dry seasons. The valley’s daily

water requirement stands at 320 million litres.

Meanwhile, the Melamchi Drinking Water Project, expected to generate 510 million litres of water per day upon completion, remains a far cry.

The first phase of the Melamchi project, say officials, will complete by the end of 2014, contributing 170 million litres further to daily water supply. The project is expected to see the light of the day by 2025. 

“We have completed almost 60 percent work on the pre-Melamchi project,” said Chandra Lal Nakarmi, the KUKL’s technical manager, at an interaction of the NGO Forum Nepal on Wednesday. “Rest of the work will be expedited with the allocation of funds.”

KUKL, according to Nakarmi, has sent a proposal to the Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Board, a body responsible for fixing water tariff and monitoring water quality, among others, seeking Rs. 650 million.

Tilak Mohan Bhandari, KUKL acting manager, said the water utility, by repairing pipelines, aims to reduce water leakage and unauthorised use by eight percent within this year. Thirty-eight percent of piped water either goes waste or is consumed for free, according to KUKL estimates.

Narayan Bhattarai, chairman of Lumanti, an NGO working for urban poor, urged KUKL to build more deep tube wells to tackle the water crisis.

Posted on: 2010-03-18 12:00

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