Sindhupalchowk: Minister for Water Supply Umakanta Chaudhary instructed all agencies concerned to work in such a manner that the water from Melamchi Project could be supplied to Kathmandu Valley within mid-April this year.

Minister Chaudhary, who reached Ambathan, the source of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project via Sundarijal Tunnel today, pledged additional technical assistance and human resources for the project if there is need of any such things.

Chaudhary instructed the Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee and contractor company Sinohydro to fulfill the government's target to supply Melamchi's water to Kathmandu Valley within mid-April.

Minister Chaudhary was accompanied by Helambu Rural Municipality ward chair Nima Gyalzen Sherpa and Executive Director of Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee Basudev Poudel, among others.

During the inspection, Minister Chaudhary assured that the government is ready to make pending payment on time but there should not be any delay in the project work under any pretexts.

On the part of the delay on payment to the contractor company, he clarified that the government of Nepal had been paying regularly to the contractor in USD as per the agreement and payment in USD is a little time-consuming.

According to him, the Ministry for Water Supply, Melamchi Drinking Water Development Committee, and stakeholder government agencies were positive about the demands of affected locals and flood survivors.

He expressed his satisfaction over the pace of the project's work.

Similarly, senior divisional engineer Padam Bahadur Kunwar shared that removal of the deposition of materials and landslide debris has so far achieved 70 percent progress.

According to him, they were working to ensure the redistribution of Melamchi's water to Kathmandu Valley within mid-April. Likewise, Helambu rural municipality chairperson Nima Gyalzen Sherpa urged the government to increase the amount to Rs 500,000 to flood survivors to rebuild their houses.

The project, upon implementation, had begun supplying water to Kathmandu Valley. The flood and landslide in the last monsoon caused severe damage to some parts of the Project, impeding the supply of targeted 170 million liters of water per day to the Valley.