Drinking water distribution in the Kathmandu Valley has been affected since Friday after locals in the source area of ​​Helambu in Sindhupalchowk diverted Melamchi water brought to Kathmandu back into the river and blocked it.

The Melamchi Water Supply Flood Victims Sangharsh Committee had returned the water sent to the tunnel to the river on Thursday, saying that the agreement made in the presence of the then Water Supply Minister Pradeep Yadav in 2081 Asoj was not implemented. 

The distribution system of the valley has been greatly affected after the daily supply of about 200 million liters of water sent to the tunnel was stopped. Pasang Sherpa, the chairman of the Sangharsh Committee, said that the water from Melamchi and its subsidiary river Ribarma has been stopped. The water brought to Kathmandu from the executive director's office at the Melamchi head office in Kathmandu was returned to the river on the seventh day after the lock was placed on the office of the executive director. 

With this, Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Limited (KUKL), which has been given the responsibility of water distribution, has stated that water can be distributed only from internal sources in Kathmandu. KUKL says that the distribution of water sent from the Sundarijal processing center to the wholesale distribution center in Kathmandu will be completely stopped. KUKL spokesperson Prakash Rai said that after the source was closed, it is not possible to distribute it from the processing center in Sundarijal. He said that due to the shortage of about 200 million liters of water per day, water cannot be distributed regularly as it is now. 

Although the floods and landslides that occurred in Ashar 2078 BS caused great damage to property and people in the source areas of Helambu and Melamchi, local Rajkumar Bhandari said that the Melamchi Project had to shut off the water because of its neglect of local problems.

Jagarnath Das, Executive Director of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee, said that the locals diverted the water to the river with the help of excavators. Das said that the pipe of the structure prepared to send the rainwater other than Melamchi to the tunnel was broken and the employees and workers assigned for maintenance were forcibly removed and the water was sent to the river. 

The struggle committee used the excavator Melamchi. The driver was hired from outside. Due to the damage caused by the 2078 BS BS floods, there is only a temporary structure at the mouth of the tunnel to send water. Executive Director Das says that the demands of the struggle committee cannot be met by the Melamchi Water Supply and the Ministry alone. 

An agreement was signed with the Sangharsh Samiti in Helambu Rural Municipality on 21 Asoj 2081 in the presence of the then Minister for Water Supply Yadav. At that time, Minister Yadav had given a written agreement regarding the rehabilitation of those affected by the flood, the construction of roads, bridges and physical infrastructure, and the use of a certain percentage of the water tariff for the development of Helambu. Only after this agreement was water allowed to be brought to Kathmandu. 

In the agreement, Minister Yadav, Helambu Rural Municipality Chairman Nimagyaljen Sherpa, the Sangharsh Samiti, and local political party workers agreed to fulfill their demands. The minister had assured the locals that he would be honest in implementing the agreement. 

An agreement was reached regarding the rehabilitation of those affected by the flood, the construction of roads, bridges and physical infrastructure, and the use of a certain percentage of the water tariff for the development of Helambu. Even after three and a half years since the damage caused by the floods and landslides, locals complain that the government and the Melamchi Project have ignored local problems. 

‘Both the state and federal governments have been ignoring the loss of property and lives in Helambu,’ said local politician and witness to the agreement, Rajkumar Bhandari. ‘The government’s accountability towards the citizens affected by the floods and landslides has not been seen at all.’ He said that the reconstruction of damaged structures, rehabilitation of victims, and reconstruction of damaged road networks have not been possible. 

Melamchi main office locked for seven days

Meanwhile, four local concern committees from Sindhu and Kavre have locked the office of the executive director of the Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee. The executive director has not been able to enter his office since 16 Kartik. 

The administrative work of the Melamchi project has come to a standstill after the office in Panipokhari, Lazimpat, was locked. Although talks were held between the concern committee that locked the office and the Ministry of Drinking Water at Singha Durbar, no conclusion was reached. During the talks, it has been decided to form separate negotiation committees by the concern committee and the government side. 

Executive Director Das said that it has been decided to form a negotiation team including representatives from all the concerned ministries. He said that since the Ministry of Drinking Water is not the only one concerned with fulfilling the demands of the stakeholders, representatives from other ministries will also be appointed. 

In the past, Melamchi had been allocating Rs 230 million annually to the Stakeholder Committee to run income generation and development programs at the local level. The grant has now been significantly reduced, and it has not been clear how it will be spent for the past three years. The dispute started after the government mentioned in its formation order of 2079 that the amount would be sent through the local level. The Stakeholder Committee has been expressing dissatisfaction with this. 

The budget was allocated to spend the Melamchi water in wards of 7 municipalities in both districts, including Panchkhal, Mandandeupur in Kavre and Melamchi and Chautara Sangachokgadhi municipalities in Sindh and Helambu, Panchpochari and Indrawati rural municipalities, for transporting Melamchi water to Kathmandu. The amount was being spent by the Stakeholder Committee formed in the project-affected areas.