It has been years since the construction of the 28 km main canal from Brahmadev to Phuleli in Shuklaphanta municipality of the third phase of the Mahakali irrigation project. Another 20 km from Phuleli to Godavari in Kailali is under construction.

Half of the 22 branch canals have been constructed in the 28 km of the main canal. Although the structure to provide irrigation facilities in the area of 3000 hectares has been prepared, since India did not release water to the canal from Tanakpur, the farmers of the canal have not been able to get irrigation facilities.

As the Indian side did not release water from the Tanakpur barrage, the water could not reach the farmer's fields. The canal has been built and tested, but due to the Indian side's inaction, the water has not been put into operation. Four years ago, during the canal test, Paddy Day was also celebrated with water from Tanakpur. After that, water did not come into the canal.

'If water comes in the canal, three thousand hectares of farmers' fields can be supplied,' said Dr. Yogendra Mishra, project director of the third phase of the Mahakali irrigation project.

He said that despite many efforts to release water from Tanakpur, the National Hydropower Corporation (NHPC) refused to release the water. "NHPC employees have been giving the answer that they will release the water as soon as the order comes from Delhi," he said, "We have already informed the department about this."

Only after the Prime Minister of both the countries jointly inaugurated the project, the situation has become that water will flow into the canal. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's visit to India is scheduled for next August. If this issue gets priority during the visit, Nepal will get water from the Mahakali River according to the Mahakali Treaty. 

Project director Mishra says that if the water can be operated in the canal, there will be pressure on the construction company to speed up the work. "Now even when land is acquired, the answer is that there is no water in the canal," he said, "in the canal  If the water can be operated, the fields would be irrigated and these problems would also be solved.'

He said that within the next three years, the construction of the main canal from Brahmadev to Godavari in Kailali will be completed and irrigation will be provided to 5,000 hectares.  'The main problem here is the land, the citizens here are demanding more compensation, there is unclaimed land in the place where the canal should be built, there is freehold land,' he said, 'due to land and forest problems, the work of the project has been delayed.'

According to Mahakali treaty expert Vishnu Awasthi, even though the construction of the canal should be completed within six months of the agreement, Nepal has not received the water it needs for 30 years of the agreement. "Even three decades after the treaty agreement, Nepal has not been able to get water, the government should take it seriously," he said.

Even though canal structures have been prepared towards Nepal, due to the lack of initiative from the government, water has not been able to reach the fields of the farmers here. He said that according to the agreement, 300 cusecs of water should be received from Tanakpur barrage in winter and 1000 cusecs in rainy season.

Due to the lack of sufficient budget for the third phase of the Mahakali irrigation project, which started in the fiscal year 2063/64, the construction work could not take off. After the government included it in the project of national pride in the financial year 2076/77, the construction work accelerated.  

After the construction of 151 km canal including main canal as per target  Irrigation facilities will reach 33 thousand 520 hectares of Kailali and Kanchanpur. According to the project, nine billion budget has been spent so far. Even in the current financial year, around two billion budget has been allocated for the project. In Kanchanpur, irrigation facilities are available in an area of 11 thousand 600 hectares from the first and second phase of the Mahakali irrigation project. 

Mahakali irrigation started in 2042 and completed in 2048. From the first phase, 4 thousand 800 hectares and from the second phase completed in 2052, irrigation facilities have reached 6 thousand 800 hectares. Irrigation facilities are available from the first and second stage of irrigation to Bhimdatta and Bedkot Municipalities and Beldandi Rural Municipality.