It will cost more than Rs 23 billion to supply the water of Melamchi River to the locations outside the ring road area of the Kathmandu Valley.
The Project Implementation Directorate (PID) under the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited has estimated the aforementioned cost at a time when there is a growing demand for water in the settlements outside the ring road. As of now, the water from Melamchi is being distributed mainly within the ring road periphery.
The directorate has already built a distribution network of 1,010 km in the first phase. Out of the newly installed pipelines, the water supplied in 830 km has been tested. The remaining 270 km of the pipeline is yet to be tested and is being used to supply water in around 17,000 outlets.
According to the PID, it is constructing a 796 km distribution network under the second phase for water distribution. Out of it, laying pipelines in 430 km has been completed.
The Melamchi project has now become the main source of water supply for the local residents of the valley, mainly during the winter season. Although the water supply was stopped during the rainy season, it has resumed since mid-December. Currently, a total of 170 million liters of water from the project is being distributed in the valley.
