Melamchi Matter

Though the Melamchi water project has been advanced for long as the one-project solution to the Kathmandu Valley's perennial drinking water scarcity problem, it is not unnatural to hear of scepticism regarding whether the project will have a smooth run. It is the biggest project ever undertaken in Nepal with many donors contributing to its budget. The primary reason for the doubt regarding the Melamchi project has basically to do with the funds. The latest development whereby the World Bank withdrew from this project again raised concern about the fate of Melamchi. But in an interview with this paper the Executive Director of the Melamchi Water Development Board said the government was confident that the gap left by the World Bank's withdrawal would be filled by other donors. Melamchi, indeed, is one of the top priorities of the government and the donors are also aware that it is the promised lifeline of the Kathmandu Valley. There is a general consensus among all that this project must be completed, if the Kathmandu Valley is to be liveable in the future. Without a sufficient supply of drinking water, no city can be considered habitable, let alone the capital.

Melamchi has been the talk of the Valley for over 10 years now. But actually the project started only recently after the funding was secured. The Valley dwellers consider it good news that the project has actually taken off with the main access road being built now, which is a prerequisite to construct the tunnel. Seventy per cent of the 18-kilometre long access road has been completed and it will be useable by the end of this fiscal year. Along with it is the works regarding land acquisition and compensation. Fair compensation to the people whose land is going to be acquired by the project is essential. So is the faithful adherence to environmental norms and guidelines in building various components of the water project. The assurance from the project chief that these aspects are being well taken care of is welcome. Melamchi does represent a project with myriad challenges-technical, economical, environmental and social. They range from the construction of the tunnel to the choice of the private party to manage the water system to the improvement in the distribution networks. But these challenges must be met with determination by the government and the project must be completed within the stipulated time.

Monsoon Disaster

THIS year's monsoon season that started unususally earlier than previous years have left scars of misery and agony in the lives of many Nepalese. The unprecedented rains wrecked havoc in the eastern and central regions causing massive landslides in the hills, and floods and inundation in the plains. But suprisingly, the western parts remained comparatively dry. Both the extremes of the weather conditions had their toll - sweeping away villages and cultivable land in the east and leaving the farmland in the west without rain. In some places, the entire villages were washed away while in others, the swollen rivers gushed into residential houses and arable land, leaving them useless. The catastrophe took the lives of about 500 people and left hundreds of thousands others, who still undergo the trauma of the disasters, without homes and means of livelihood. The government promptly responded to the disaster and mobilised security personnel and civil servants with relief packages for the victims through the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund. Relief materials have been pouring in from the private sectors as well as civil society, and even from the diplomatic and international missions for the aid of the floods and landslides victims. Common people, political parties and non-governmental organisations were seen busy collecting money, clothes and foodstuff from the people in the capital. But given the magnitude of the damage caused by the calamities, the relief works have been inadequate despite the efforts from all sides to lessen the woes of the victims. The post disaster problems, including those related to health and sanitation, among other, are even worse. There are reports that people displaced by the floods and landslides have been suffering from various water-borne diseases, including typhoid and diarrhoea, which too have added to the causalties. Even more tremendous task before the authority is arranging their settlement and providing them with income generating opportunities so that normalcy returns in their lives.