The long-awaited national pride project, Sikta Irrigation Project, under construction in Banke district, has completed 50 per cent of its total works in the span of 20 years.

According to Project Director Raju Acharya, both the project’s scope and cost have expanded over time, leading to an extension of the construction period. He said that 50 per cent of the total work had been completed so far, and the remaining construction was progressing rapidly.

According to Acharya, construction of 45 kilometres of the western main canal have been completed, while 37 kilometres out of 53 kilometres of the eastern main canal have been finished, marking half of the project’s overall completion. He further informed that the remaining canal and branch canal works were being carried out at an accelerated pace.

Currently, large structures along both the eastern and western main canals are under construction, and expansion of branch and sub-branch canals is ongoing.

After a prolonged legal dispute, the project has also resumed the construction of the Duduwa Irrigation System in the western region. Once operational, this system is expected to provide irrigation facilities to around 16,000 hectares of agricultural land across Nepalgunj, Duduwa, and Janaki rural municipalities. Although the initial contract for Duduwa was signed in 2016, it was later terminated due to non-performance by the contractor. A new tender had since been called to resume the works.

Acharya said that the project was preparing to expedite the remaining construction of the eastern main canal, expansion of branch networks, and maintenance works.

Upon receiving financial approval from the Ministry of Finance, the project plans to move forward with an additional construction programme worth around Rs. 5 billion. The new plan includes expansion of the fifth, sixth, and seventh branch canals, as well as reconstruction of older structures.

Meanwhile, water has already been released into sections of both the eastern and western main canals, as well as some branch canals. This has allowed many farmers in Banke, who once depended solely on rainfall, to cultivate up to three crops a year using irrigation water from the Sikta canals.

Local farmers expressed satisfaction with the progress. Ramsharan Tharu, a farmer from Rapti Sonari-4, said, “We used to depend entirely on rainfall, but now irrigation water from the canals has made farming much easier.”

Similarly, Amar Gharti Magar of Rapti Sonari-7 stated that even though the eastern canal is not fully completed, the project has already started transforming farmers’ lives. “From land that once produced barely enough to eat, we now grow enough to sell,” he said.

Another farmer, Rima Tharu from Rapti Sonari-5, shared that timely access to canal water has made farming more reliable. “We no longer have to wait for the monsoon, irrigation has made cultivation much easier,” she said.

The Sikta Irrigation Project began in the fiscal year 2004/05 with the aim of constructing a barrage on the Rapti River at Agaiya in Banke district. Once fully completed, the project will protect around 33,700 hectares of farmland on the western side and 9,000 hectares on the eastern side from drought, significantly boosting agricultural productivity in the region.

By Siraj Khan