Construction of irrigation canal in Dodhara-Chandni is still in delayed

Dodhara Chadani bridge, #The Bagmati Post

Kathmandu. 

The process of constructing a canal in the Dodhara-Chandani area of ​​Mahakalipari has been delayed.

The Indian side had agreed with Energy Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, who visited India in the second half of December, 2077 BS, to finalize the detailed project report (DPR) of the canal for irrigation in Dodhara-Chandni prepared by Nepal within two months.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has repeatedly described the agreement as a significant achievement of the government. He had claimed at a meeting of party cadres in Kathmandu on December 3, 2008 that Dodhara-Chandani would get water as per the Mahakali Treaty within six months.

However, this agreement has not been implemented. Even three months after the agreement was reached, bilateral discussions between Nepal and India on the project have not moved forward.

For a long time, India had been taking a stand that this canal could be built only after the Pancheshwor project was completed.

Nepal, on the other hand, had been saying that a canal should be built as per the Mahakali Treaty to lay the groundwork for the project. There is a plan to build a 10 cubic meter per second water canal in Dodhara Chandni. According to the treaty, India should provide water for the canal from the Sarada canal near the Banbasa bridge.

Director General of the Department of Irrigation Madhukar Rajbhandari says that preparations are being made to move ahead with the project without any delay as the issue of constructing canals in the area has been included in the master plan of irrigation projects. "Some amendments may have to be made in the DPR prepared earlier," he said. "Now the water resources-related meetings between the two countries will discuss the project and reach the necessary agreement and decision."

The DPR of this canal was prepared by Nepal in 2014 itself. Chief of Mahakali Irrigation Project-II Ran Bahadur Bam says that it is necessary to update the DPR made in 2014.

Stating that the previous DPR had already been given to the Government of India, Bam said that various structures including houses have been constructed in the area where the DPR is now located and only by updating can it proceed as per the master plan. Stating that preparations are being made to start the process for amending the DPR, Bam said that they are hopeful that the construction process can start by the beginning of the next fiscal year.

The DPR has not been finalized yet and the land acquisition process for the project has not started yet.

In this project, which will be constructed to irrigate an area of ​​about 3,500 hectares, 3,000 hectares will have to be irrigated through Kulo. The area of ​​500 hectares has to be irrigated by lifting water through other techniques.

According to the 2014 DPR, Rs 4.5 billion will have to be invested for the construction of this project. For this project, 1100 meters of canal should be built on Indian soil.

It has not been decided yet who will build the canal. Along with the 15 km main canal, 5 ancillary canals should also be constructed in it. If this canal is built, the Dodhara-Chandni area will get the facility of using water as per the Mahakali treaty. But the planning has not started yet.