The Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP)
is considered to be the most viable
long-term alternative to ease the chronic
water shortage situation within the
Kathmandu Valley. The Project is designed
to divert about 170 MLD of fresh water
to Kathmandu Valley from the Melamchi
River in Sindhupalchowk district. Augmenting
this supply by adding about a further
170 MLD each from the Yangri and Larke
rivers, which lie in the upstream proximity
of Melamchi are also being investigated
as future supply sources.
Ministry of Physical Planning and
Works (MPPW) is the executing agency
for the Project and an autonomous
Melamchi Water Supply Development
Board, formulated for Project implementation,
is the implementing agency.
The Board, as an independent project
implementing body has come a long
way to collect the necessary funds
to implement the project since 1998.
The major donor of the project, Asian
Development Bank (ADB) approved a
Loan 1820-NEP (SF) on 21st December,
2000 and it was effective from 28th
November, 2001. After six years of
project implementation, Government
of Nepal and the project's funding
partners, felt necessicity to change
the scopes of project implementation
arrangement by splitting the MWSP
into the following two distinct sub-projects
in 2007;
(i) the Melamchi River Water Diversion
Subproject (Sub-Project -1) covering
all project activities in Melamchi
Valley including constructions of
Water Diversion Tunnel (WDT) and Water
Treatment Plant (WTP) at Sundarijal
and
(ii) Kathmandu Valley Water Supply
and Sanitation Subproject (Subproject
-2) comprising water distribution
activities in Kathmandu Valley. EMP
implementation requirements as per
EIA and EMP of MWSP, 2000 and 2001
have been covered both of these sub-projects.
The MWSP originally comprised four
parts:
| i) |
infrastructure
development; |
| ii) |
social and environmental support; |
| iii) |
institutional reforms; and |
| iv) |
project implementation support.
|
A complementary Kathmandu Valley
Water Services Sector Development
Program (SDP), has also been effective
from December 2004 to support reforms
and institutional development in the
water services sector engaging private
sector participation (PSP).
Various factors including political
events during the past 6 years of
MWSP and 3 years of SDP implementation
did not make it possible to complete
the project as planned. The withdrawal
of the three co-financing development
partners for the Project - the World
Bank, NORAD, and SIDA resulted in
a shortfall of $133 million in the
originally projected cost of US$ 464
million as priced in 2000 AD.
ADB approved the proposed project
restructuring, mainly reflecting the
abovementioned financial and institutional
changes made during its 6 years of
implementation and proposing the removal
of identified obstacles in implementation,
in February 2008. After the restructuring,
the Project has now been revised to
a total of $317.3 million and a completion
date of June 2013. The cost will be
jointly funded by several agencies
such as: ADB (Loan 1820-NEP) - $137
m, JBIC - $ 47.5 m, JICA - $18 m,
NDF - $10.5 m, OPEC - $13.7 m, and
GoN - $ 90.6 million.
Out of US$317.3 million Subproject
I ,Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP)
will be utilizing US$ 249.4 million
with following contribution of different
donors ADB - US$ 103.8 m 41.62%, JBIC(JICA)
– US$47.5 m 19%, NDF- US$- 10.5 m
4.2%, OPEC- US$ 13.7m 5.5% and GoN
US$73.9 m (29.63%)
The revised Project comprises three
components: Part A. Melamchi Valley
Subproject (Subproject I), Part B.
Kathmandu Valley Subproject (Subproject
II), and Part C. Project Support (Subproject
III) as described below:
Part A. Subproject
I Comprises:
 |
Construction
of Melamchi Diversion Scheme
to carry out about 170 MLD of
raw water from the Melamchi
River into Kathmandu Valley
through a 26.5 km tunnel; |
|
Construction of about 43
km of access roads and upgrading
of about 29 km of road to assist
the construction of the Project
facilities and their maintenance; |
|
Construction of a water treatment
plant with an initial capacity
of at least 170 MLD and expandable
to about 510 MLD to treat the
Melamchi River Water; and |
|
Development and implementation
of a social upliftment program,
including - a) buffer zone development,
b) rural electrification, c) health,
d) education, and e) income generation/community
development. |
Part B. Subproject
II Comprises:
|
Rehabilitation
and improvement of distribution
networks at primary, secondary,
and tertiary levels, house connections,
rehabilitation and improvement
of existing water supply system
including intakes, transmission
lines, water treatment plants
and service reservoirs; |
|
Construction of a bulk distribution
system comprising service reservoirs
strategically located in the
Kathmandu Valley and bulk water
supply pipelines leading to
the reservoirs from the water
treatment plant in the pipeline
and will be constructed once
the fund is available; |
|
Undertaking the improvements
of waste water system in a phased
manner; and |
|
Development of a shallow ground
water well field at Manohara within
the Kathmandu Valley to extract,
treat, and distribute about 20
MLD of water in Kathmandu valley.
|
Part C. Subproject
III Comprises:
|
Development
and implementation of i) a resettlement
action plan; and ii) an Environmental
Management Plan (EMP) to mitigate
direct and indirect Project
impacts, including a) hygiene
education, b) public relations
programs, c) (if required by
ADB) a social and environmental
monitoring program undertake
by a panel of domestic experts,
and d) a groundwater monitoring
program; and |
|
Provision of support to carry
out various Project administration
activities, including PMU operations,
design and construction supervision,
social and environmental activities
and training provision of incremental
administration and operation costs.
|
|
