MELAMCHI
Still
Nowhere
Since its inception, Melamchi Drinking Water Project has been facing a series of crisis. Despite crises like costs and benefits, technical viability, water with power, private sector participation and corruption, the project survived for eighteen years generating hope that it will bring water from Melamchi to the thirsty capital. Suddenly, there has come another phase of uncertainty now after a decision by Minister Hisila Yami. If the Asian Development Bank (ADB) pulls out from Melamchi in case the agreement with UK 's Severn Trent Water International (STWIN) - which was scheduled to be signed as a Kathmandu Valley 's water utility manager on May 15 – is not honored, the death of Melamchi is inevitable. This is going to be a major blow to three million population of valley apart from tarnishing the credibility of Nepalese government
By KESHAB POUDEL
H arkaman Tamang, 40, who lives in squatter settlement in Bishnumati, spends almost four to five hours for the collection of drinking water. Tamang has to roam around different places to get a bucket of water during the dry season when the water supply is irregular.
Shree Chandra Nagarkoti, 37, a resident of Seti Opi Koteswor, has a difficult time to distribute 6000 liters of water twice a week to 400 households. Supplied by Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) through six thousand liter reserve tanks, he has to distribute 150 liters to each household twice a week. With an area dominated by migrant population, each house has at least five families. This means a family of four is given 60 liters a week.
Shreeram Sharma, 52, of Kalanki, spends Rs.1300 a month to buy water from private tankers for domestic use and pays Rs.300 for mineral waters.
Even in areas like Maitidevi, Siphal, and Baluwatar, people have to wake up in the middle of the night to run the electric water pump to suck water from the pipe. This is time-consuming, cumbersome as well as costly. The bill for electricity goes higher than the actual price of water. In some areas, nobody knows how much water they do get on rotation.
From rich to poor, all are facing similar kinds of problems of lack of water. For affluent community, they can pay huge chunks of money to fetch water from private tankers but for poor communities, times have become very difficult.
Since last two decades, successive governments, however, injected hopes among the people selling the dream of Melamchi - that they would get enough water after diverting the fresh water from Melamchi River located some 40 miles north-east of capital. Confined to Melamchi for a long time, no one searched any viable alternative for future.
The collapse of Melamchi means reversing back valley's situation two decades earlier. Nepal has already been trapped in a situation without option. No Melamchi means no water to Kathmandu for another two decades.
Consumption of Water
Average per capita consumption of water continues to increase. According to a projection, it will increase from 74 lpcd in 2001, to 92 lpcd in 2016. The present average per capita water consumption rate is about 78 lpcd. The non domestic consumption is now around 11 percent.
According to a very conservative estimate, average daily demand of water is about 133 MLD (Million Liters a Day) and maximum demand is 146 MLD. It will go up to 313 MLD by 2016.
The present supply capacity is around 107 MLD which is to provide only 37 percent of the average daily demands in dry season. If Melmachi is completed in accordance with its schedule, it will add 170 MLD in a system and even that will be short of demand level when it is completed.
Urban Program Operation Framework 2005-2010, published by WaterAid Nepal, reveals that on an average, 78 percent population have access to water supply. This does not ensure adequate and safe supply. For example, water distribution is contaminated and most part of Kathmandu receives only half an hour supply on alternative days. The city water supply is also contaminated by various types of bacterial coliform, resulting in frequent outbreak of water-borne diseases.
"There is a great urgency to resolve this problem. It is quite clear that the present water shortage problem would hardly be resolved without augmenting the supply. It has been estimated onward 2010 the supply to Kathmandu Valley would have to be further increased even after the diversion of the Melamchi flow into the Kathmandu Valley ," writes Ananda BahadurThapa, a renowned water resources expert, in his article Are Donors to be Blamed? (See spotlight January 19)
Private Vs Public
Despite facing a series of pressure on the project area, the road is almost complete and the project has already spent Rs. 4 billion. When the process of contract for 28 long KM tunnel was proceeding, this project faced another major jolt following a decision of Minister for Works and Physical Planning Hisila Yami to review the agreement with STWIN.
Appointment of private management contractor is a condition set by ADB for releasing its fund. The condition to bring private sector in the water management of Kathmandu valley is added keeping in view the fact that there was no improvement in the water supply situation in the valley from 1990-1999 despite US$ 100 million injected for that purpose.
STWIN –which was selected through international bidding- was scheduled to sign an agreement with Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Ltd (KUKL) on May 15, a water utility operator constituted by the previous government. Minister Yami, however, directed KUKL not to sign STWIN's contract letter as the matter was under review.
The previous government in a cabinet decision approved the contract award to STWIN for a six-year period for a total fee of US$ 8.5 million fulfilling a major condition set by ADB to release of funds.
This is not the first time ADB is pursuing private sector participation in water. ADB's Country Strategy and Program Nepal 2005-2009 argues that a performance-based management contract will be put into operation to ensure that urban drinking water supply and wastewater services are managed effectively and efficiently and to enable private sector to undertake poverty-focused water distribution service.
ADB's Threat
According to The Kathmandu Post (Thursday, May 10), ADB's Melamchi Mission chief Keiichi Tamaki wrote to KUKL that if the contract is not awarded to STWIN by May 15, ADB would terminate its loan number 1820 worth US$ 120 million, committed to the project.
"Tamaki was scheduled to request the ADB board in Manila , Philippines in June to extend the funding commitment till 2013. However, without appointment of a private management contractor, there will be no ground to persuade extension of the funding commitment," the daily quoted a consultant.
The earlier decision to award the contract to STWIN was taken by the government led by prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala who is again leading the current government. In this case it is the prime minister who has to take all the responsibility.
If present minister does not abide by the earlier decision taken by the previous government led by same prime minister, ADB has hinted that it would pull out from the project. This was expressed by ADB's senior officials to Nepalese delegation led by Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat in Tokyo recently. A high level source at the Ministry of Finance revealed that the Minister has already conveyed ADB's concern to prime minister Koirala who, in turn, has assured them that he will intervene in the matter.
ADB is Nepal 's major donor contributing a huge amount of money in water and sanitation. According to the report of WaterAid Nepal , in total, till 2005, ADB has provided loans totaling US$ 305.25 million in water supply and sanitation sector.
According to ADB's Country Strategy and Program Nepal 2005-2009, water supply improvement in Kathmandu Valley will be undertaken in tandem with the Melamchi Water Supply Project.
New Cause of Concern
A new cause of water related tensions has surfaced in just the last few years, the transfer of water system ownership and/or management from the public authorities to private multinational corporations. This is the ninth time the deadline for award of the management contract has been extended.
 |
River water: Abundant resources but not a drop to drink |
"I have reservation about privatization. These things can be done through public-private participation," said Minister Yami. Minister Yami, a senior Maoist leader, disclosed that she will put the issue before the cabinet.
Amid the personal games and whims of ministers, Nepal seems to be going to lose a major project. Of course, the idea of pubic-private sector partnership is good but it cannot be imposed by the whim of individual minister. The question now is does Nepal have the luxury to continue this kind of debates? At a time when citizens have not gotten water, the state has to find the way out.
One of the primary duties of the state is to provide drinking water to its citizen. From ancient times to present, it remains the obligation of the state to provide drinking water as it is the basic necessity to sustain life. Although Nepal is known as a country with abundant water resources, its population is unable to get even the very minimum requirement of water.
According to experts, water is renewable but not infinite resource - fresh water is becoming increasingly scarce. The water amount available in the valley is almost the same as it was twenty two years ago when civil society leaders led by late Surya Bahadur Shakya staged a demonstration demanding adequate supply of water in 1988.
As population grew in Kathmandu between 6-7 percent in last one decade, the demands of water have increased. Even after bringing water from Melamchi by 2012, it is going to be insufficient.
What Are The Alternatives?
No one has clear alternative in mind. Some non-governmental organizations who oppose mega-projects like Melamchi see rain water harvesting and renovation of stone spouts as alternatives. According to them, the rain water collections alone can meet over 60 percent of demand and stone spouts can meet the remaining.
Although rain water harvesting, renovation of traditional water spouts and utilization of small water sources of valleys are some temporary measurements, they cannot be alternative to projects like Melamchi. According to experts, harvesting rain water and renovation of water spout can be subsidiary but not an option.
As Kathmandu valley has a large number of floating population who live in rented houses and slums, rain water harvesting is not an option for them. Rain water collection cannot solve the problem when there is a large population involved.
"Water, water every where but not a drop to drink. But why Kathmandu valley residents amidst the plenty of water should be punished by denying them to quench their thirst with enough water," writes Dr. Ananda Bahadur Thapa (See Spotlight Dec 29 2006- January 4 2007)
Drawbacks of Melamchi
Although Melamchi has many drawbacks and disputes regarding the project formulation including canceling power generation component from it and handing over distribution of drinking water to private sector, cancellation of the project would be disastrous for Nepal. The country has already spent almost one and a half decade in the project and there is no alternative project to bring such a large quantity of water to thirsty population.
 |
Queue of empty buckets: Water is scarce |
Melamchi reportedly received priority because of possibility of bringing abundant quantity of water to the valley. Presented to then Government by Asian Development Bank in 10 December 1997 , Melamchi Water Supply Project Memorandum of Understanding and Technical Assistance Loan Fact Finding Mission recommended carrying out the project.
The components include headwork, a 28 kilometer tunnel, a 15 MW hydropower plant, a water treatment plant, a bulk distribution system and rehabilitated distribution system. The expected 170 MLD in the first phase capacity, should satisfy water supply demand in the Kathmandu Valley through the Melamchi tunnel.
In the process of negotiation, the proposal for construction of hydro power plant was removed. The generation of 15 MW power would have significantly reduced the cost of the project.
T he studies conducted by Binnies in 1988 and further studies by SMEC in 1992 and Butwal Power Company and Binnies in 1996 confirmed that Melamchi should be developed to supply the water in Kathmandu valley. Asian Development Bank sent a reconnaissance mission in April 1996 but it initiated further action when the government agreed to a private sector management contract to manage the water supply in Kathmandu .
"It is the primary responsibility of the state to provide water. People are concerned with the supply of drinking water. People don't' care about the project what they want is assurance from the government towards adequate water supply," said Sanjaya Adhikary, country representative of WaterAid Nepal . "People cannot be deprived of water. Civil society members, intellectuals, government officials and development planners have to start debate and discussion on how to supply water to all."
After the decision of Minister Yami, the future of Melamchi is again uncertain shattering the hopes of 3 million population of valley to get enough water. At a time when there is no other immediate alternative to Melamchi Project, the valley's population, mostly poor, would have to suffer for a long time to come.
