Helambu, Sindhupalchok, Dec 30 – A breakthrough has been made in the much-anticipated Melamchi Drinking Water Project today with the opening of the 8.2 kilometres long second section of the project’s tunnel.
The tunnel from Ambathan to Gyalthum of the Helambu rural municipality was opened today. Helambu is where the Melamchi river originates. The Melamchi project aims to bring the water from the Melamchi stream to Kathmandu valley.
Before this, the breakthrough of the 9-kilometres tunnel from Sindhu to Sundarijal section was made in January last year.
This is the second of the three sections of tunnels in the project. Only 443 metres out of the around 10 kilometres tunnel from Gyalthum to Sindhu section now remains to be constructed, Executive Director of Melamchi Drinking Water Development Project, Ram Chandra Devkota, said.
He expressed the commitment that the breakthrough of the remaining section of the tunnel would be done in the next two and half months.
Minister of State for Water Supply and Sanitation, Abdul Razzak Gaddi declared the breakthrough of the second section of the tunnel by cutting a ribbon inside the Gyalthum-Ambathan tunnel today.
The project officials say that 27 of the total 27.5 kilometres long tunnel construction works have been completed until now.
The project which is being developed for the last 17 years will supply 1.7 million litres of water a day in the first phase to the Kathmandu valley from the Melamchi river.
