DODHARA CHANDANI (KANCHANPUR), July 26: The physical progress of the Mahakali Irrigation Project started 18 years ago is only 22 per cent.
Locals of the area are distressed as the construction of the national pride project has not been completed even nearly after two decades. The construction of the project was started in 2063 BS and only 28 kilometers of the main canal has been completed so far.
The estimated cost of the project was Rs 35 billion while Rs 7.68 billion has been spent so far. Though the project is being constructed with an objective of providing irrigation to 33,520 hectares of land in Kanchanpur and Kailali districts, the construction activities have been going at a snail's pace due to various reasons including budget constraint.
Twenty-two sub-canals are under construction in the area where the main canal has been constructed. Water is not yet released in the 28-kilometer canal. Senior Engineer of the Mahakali Irrigation-third phase project, Lekhnath Subedi, said water has not been released in the canal even after the completion of the main canal due to the stance of the Indian side of not providing water before formal inauguration.
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He shared, "We have already informed our higher office about it."
Divisional engineer Subedi shared that the Project has recorded 22 percent of progress so far. As per the decision of February 11, 2021, a canal stretching up to Malakheti of Kailali is to be built by fiscal year 2030/31.
Subedi said, "Only Rs 2 billion has been allocated for the Project in the current fiscal year which is very negligible. If an adequate budget is allocated and disputes relating to distribution of compensation and usage of forest area are addressed, the project would be completed within the stipulated deadline."
A contract was awarded last fiscal year to build a canal from 28.8 kilometers to 48.3 kilometers of the Project in five packages.
Various factors have impeded the project such as the lack of adequate budget and disputes relating to compensation distribution and usage of forest area, among others.
So far, 28.9 km of the 151 km main canal has been constructed under this Project which was initiated in 2005/06. There are 22 branch canals under construction in the areas surrounding the main canal. The branch canals are expected to provide irrigation to 5,200 hectares of land by the coming fiscal year.
The project is estimated to irrigate altogether 33,520 hectares of land in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts.
Due to the lack of irrigation facilities, paddy was planted across only 43 percent of the rice fields in Kanchanpur district as of mid-July. Of the total 161,741 hectares of arable land in Kanchanpur, only 59,602 hectares of land is used for farming.
