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Asian Development Bank And Melamchi By AB Thapa Asian Development Bank ( ADB )
is playing the role of coordinator for the
mobilization of financial resources needed to
implement the Melamchi Water Supply
Project. Already several meetings of the
donorsí representatives have been held
under the auspices of the ADB. It
is a well known fact to everybody
that the role of the ADB significantly
differs from that of other commercial banks.
Unlike other commercial banks, the ADB
carries the responsibility to insure that
the projects it is financing are
truely in the interest of the recipient country
and under no circumstances they would
become white elephant. Unfortunately the ADB is
not seen to be keen on handling the
Melamchi project very much with care despite
the fact that the Melamchi project could
ultimately become the biggest project in
Nepal to be financed by the ADB in
terms of total investment. Growing Public Concern General public in
Kathmandu valley is very eager to know
in full detail about the Melamchi development
plan. They are being told that the
Melamchi water supply project is a blessing
to the people living in Kathmandu.
However, there are some people who suspect
that this project could eventually
turn into a white elephant. Two articles
were published in this journal some times
back on this topics. It was aimed to
caution concerned agencies that this project
could have grave financial consequences
for ordinary people living in Kathmandu
valley. It was also explained that there
is an interesting solution to this
problem. It had been suggested
to hold broader debate on this topics.
Unfortunately there was not any open
response to the issues raised in this
journal neither from the policy makers in
the government nor from the donor institutions.
Surprisingly a fairly lengthy comment note
prepared by the Melamchi Water Supply
Office was found hidden in the
Melamchi web site on one of the above mentioned
two articles . It was indeed a great
consolation that at least there is one
person who has read that article from
top to the bottom. It need not be
explained that the Melamchi water office is not
the most appropriate institution to be
held responsible for any failure in
planning at policy level. Similarly they can
not be answerable to the public for
whatever inaccurate observations they
might make on matters far beyond the
scope of the works assigned to them .
Surely they can not be expected to
find solution to the complex
problems described in this journal some times back
that are related to high dam planning, super high head hydropower
etc. However, it is tried here again to
depict the Melamchi project some what in
a different perspective taking into account as
far as possible the comments made by the
Melamchi Water Supply Office. Deviation From UNDP Financed Study It is being reported
that the Melamchi project now considered
for the implementation significantly differs
from the project originally proposed by
the team of foreign consultants assigned
by the UNDP. There are two major
deviations. They are the fate of the
Yangri and Larke rivers or in other
words the Indrawati river identified to
supplement the Melamchi flow after few years,
and the hydropower component to use the freely
available water supply civil structures for
power generation. It has been explicitly
stated in the UNDP report that around the
time 2011 the total system demand ( in
Kathmandu valley) is expected to reach the total
supply from in-valley surface sources and
Melamchi. The next stage of the development
of the Melamchi will be required. This
entails diversion from the YANGRI and LARKE
rivers that flow to the east of the
Melamchi. Water would be diverted by tunnels
to a point upstream of the Melamchi
intake. The total length of the delivery
tunnels is expected to be over 12 kilometers.
The Larke and the Yangri are the main
tributaries of the Indrawati river. After the
diversion of the Yangri and Larke rivers
into the Melamchi there would hardy
be any flow in the upper reach of
the Indrawati river during the dry season. It breaks the heart
of any common Nepalese who has the
slightest care for the country to
learn that the Water Resources Ministry
and the Planning Commission have very recently
leased the Indrawati river to
private developers to build a cascade of hydropower
in all probability with full knowledge of the
Asian Development Bank. One hydropower is going
to be completed very soon and the others are at
planning stage. Concerned agencies at the
policy making level should explain to the
public the rational behind the
decision to lease the Indrawati river
to private developers to build a cascade of
hydropower. Could not we find some other
suitable rivers to be leased to
private hydropower developers? Hydropower Component There exists a big
potential to generate cheap electricity
by using the diverted flow of the
Melamchi river The elevation of the
Melamchi intake weir is 1715 m and the
inlet to the treatment works near
Sundarijal is 1409 m. Thus there is an
enormously big gross head of 306 m.
The UNDP report has clearly stated that
the net increment in investment ( the cost of
the powerhouse located near Sundarijal with
electromechanical equipment) needed to implement the
hydropower element is relatively small as the
intake headrace tunnel and penstock are already
in place for conveying water to the
treatment works. The UNDP study has concluded
that it would be worth constructing the
hydropower and it could make a contribution
to reducing the cost of drinking water to
Kathmandu. The total annual
generation of the Melamchi hydropower, according to
the UNDP report, would be 60 GWh and out
of it the firm power generation would be
40.5 GWh. The Melamchi hydropower electricity
generation would have been close to 50%
of the annual generation of the Kulekhani
No.1 hydropower. After the diversion of the
Yangri and Larke the electricity generation of
the Melamchi hydropower would be further increased. It
surprises anyone to learn that the Melamchi hydropower
component has been dropped. People want
to know why our Planning Commission allowed the
power component of the Melamchi project to be
dropped despite the fact that the UNDP
report has concluded that the power
station would be worth constructing and could make a
contribution to reducing the cost of drinking water to Kathmandu residents. This
very question can be directed to the ADB
also that looks after the task of
coordination of the activities from the donorsí
side. Melamchi Project in New Perspective The data published in
the Melamchi web evidences that it was
known to the Melamchi Project the fact
that the NEA had already carried out
the prefeasibility study of the Langtang
diversion power project (at Ghode Tabela). According to the
NEA study the minimum flow of the
Langtang river at Ghode Tabela is about 4
cumecs. Such flow could be more than
the combined flow of the Yangri and Larke
rivers. There is a level difference of
about 1600 meters between Ghode Tabela and the
Trisuli river. It is planned to utilize
this big head to generate power and for
this purpose a 12 km long power
tunnel would be necessary. It might astonish many of us to
learn that there is a still better alternative to the plan to divert the
Langtang river into the Trisuli for power generation which is briefly
described hereinafter. It would be possible to obtain
a total gross head of about 1600 meters or even more
if the Langtang water is conveyed
to the Melamchi river instead of diverting
into the water surplus Trisuli river. Such diversion
could be a substitute for the diversion of the Yangri and Larke
rivers to augment the flow of the Melamchi. A 20 km
long power tunnel would be needed to
deliver the Langtang water from Ghore Tabala
to the Melamchi project intake and such
tunnel would have been 8 km longer
than the power tunnel needed to divert
the Langtang water into the Trisuli river.
We should not forget that it would be
necessary by 2011 according to the
UNDP feasibility study of the Melamchi
project to build the 12 km long
Larke and Yangri diversion tunnels to
augment the dry season flow of the
Melamchi river. If the Langtang water is
diverted into the Melamchi river, it would
not be necessary neither to build
the 12 km long diversion tunnel to
deliver the Yangri and Larke water into
the Melamchi nor to build the expensive
headworks across those two rivers to
divert the water. Thus the utilization of
the Melamchi route for the Langtang river
power project would have involved
the construction of power tunnel 4 km
shorter in length and would also have
allowed to dispense with the construction of
expensive headworks across the two
rivers( Yangri and Larke). There would not be any
reduction in total gross head for the power
generation despite the changes of
the Langtang diversion route from Ghore Tabela- Trisuli to
Ghore Tabela —Melamchi. Out of the total gross head of 1620 m between the
Ghode Tabela and the Sundarijal tailrace, about 1300 m head would
be used by the Langtang hydropower that discharges water into the
Melamchi intake and the rest by the hydropower to be provided near
the entry point of the Melamchi tunnel into the Kathmandu valley. Kyoto Ministerial Declaration The Ministerial Declaration of the 3rd
World Water Forum recently held in Japan is reported to have emphasized that in managing
water, we should ensure good governance. We should further promote the participation of
all stakeholders, and ensure transparency and accountability in all actions.
Unfortunately we are finding in Nepal just the opposite to Kyoto Declaration. There
is virtually a complete absence of accountability. The way the Khimti, West Seti and other
projects have been handled is a clear proof to it. There is hardly any coordination
even among the departments within the same ministry. Let us take the projects related to
Langtang and Melamchi rivers. The NEA had taken up further studies to implement the high
head Langtang-Trisuli diversion project which had been identified a long time ago as one
of the most attractive power projects by the Gandak Basin master plan study and
surprisingly at this very time the Electricity Development Department has awarded a Mini
Langtang power project to a private developer knowing perfectly well that the mini project
would preclude the development of the Langtang-Trisuli diversion project. It is
hoped that the new management of the Water Resources Ministry will do its best in the New
Year 2060 to achieve the goals set out by the Kyoto Declaration. In Conclusion Comments made by the Melamchi Water Office
on Langtang diversion article published in this journal some times back could be very
useful in conducting unbiased analysis of the Melamchi project and
particularly to suggest improvements if that project in its present form would not be in
the interest of the Kathmandu residents . It would have been easier to
understand the real concern of the Melamchi Water Project if they could be more clear
about some of their observations such as the proposed diversion lacks socio-political
realities, the dam height would be 300 meters though the UNDP report says it would
be only about 120 to 130 meters in height, pose danger to National Park from ice particles
in the reservoir, technically and economically impractical to build a dam because of
30-40 meters deep loose bed materials, the Kulekhani dam height must be further raised to
increase the capacity to 300 MW, present Kulekhani system must be dismantled etc. |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
