Melamchi Water Supply Resumes in Kathmandu Valley after Monsoon Ends

The supply of drinking water from the Melamchi project has resumed in the Kathmandu Valley after remaining closed during the monsoon.

The supply was halted on June 24 following floods in the Melamchi River and landslides that threatened to damage the project infrastructure. With the completion of maintenance and repair works, water distribution has now resumed.

According to Jagarnath Das, executive director of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee, over 170 million litres of water are being processed daily at the Sundarijal Water Treatment Plant.

The Kathmandu Valley’s daily water demand stands at around 430 million litres. During the shutdown of the Melamchi system, only 130–140 million litres were supplied from alternative sources.

Ashok Kumar Poudel, executive director of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), said water distribution has already begun and that water from the Melamchi Riiver will be supplied twice a week starting Monday.

Water supply from the Melamchi project had remained irregular throughout the year since floods in the Indrawati and Melamchi rivers severely damaged the system three years ago. -- RSS