Nepal coordinating with India to release water from Tanakpur barrage: Minister Ghising
KANCHANPUR: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Kul Man Ghising shared that efforts were being coordinated with India to release water to Nepal from Tanakpur barrage.
Speaking while inspecting the Tanakpur barrage at Brahmadev in Kanchanpur district under the third phase of the Mahakali Irrigation Project this morning, Minister Ghising, who also holds the portfolios of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Urban Development, said continuous requests had been made to the Indian side through the concerned mechanisms of both countries and bilateral meetings to dispatch water to the Nepal side, the minister’s secretariat said.
During the on‑site visit, the minister expressed his confidence that a decision would soon be made on water discharge from the Indian side, as he added that the 28 km main canal, branch canals and sub‑branch canals had already been completed on the Nepal side and could immediately provide irrigation facilities across around 5,000 hectares of land in Kanchanpur district.
On the occasion, Mitra Baral, Director General of the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation, briefed Minister Ghising about the recent progress of the project.
The Mahakali Irrigation Project, described as one of the national pride projects, is estimated to cost Rs 35 billion and aims to provide irrigation facilities to more than 35,000 hectares of land in Kanchanpur and Kailali districts.
Under the Nepal‑India Integrated Mahakali Treaty, Nepal will receive 300 cusecs of water in the winter and 1,000 cusecs of water during the monsoon season. Infrastructure has already been built on the Nepal side to facilitate irrigation utilising the water in accordance with the treaty.
However, the project has faced criticism as locals express their displeasure over the failure of the project to yield outcomes despite already investing over Rs 9 billion. Project officials also warned that the infrastructure was beginning to deteriorate due to lack of water flow.
During the inspection, Minister Ghising also took stock of the four‑lane bridge over the Mahakali River in Bhimdatta Municipality‑11 in Kanchanpur district.
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