Mahakali Irrigation project progress slows as compensation distribution drags

Kanchanpur: The third phase of the Mahakali Irrigation Project, launched 18 years ago with the aim of providing irrigation facilities to 33,520 hectares of land in Kanchanpur and Kailali, has achieved only 27 percent progress.

The project’s advancement has been hindered by issues such as delayed land compensation, challenges in tree felling, and budget constraints. However, after being declared a national pride project a few years ago, construction work has gained some momentum, according to Rajesh Bhakta Pokharel, Chief Divisional Engineer (CDE) of the third phase of the project.

“The construction of the main canal was slow before the project was upgraded to a national pride project,” said CDE Pokharel. “Currently, construction of the 19-kilometer main canal up to Malakheti in Kailali is ongoing under four separate contracts.”

A total of Rs 1.97 billion has been contracted for the main canal construction across these four packages. Since the contractors failed to complete the work within the initial deadline, the project office recently granted the first deadline extension for all four contracts.

In the budget for the fiscal year 2082/83, the government announced plans to complete the third phase of the Mahakali Irrigation Project within three years. The project, which began in the fiscal year 2063/64, was included in the national pride project list in 2076/77. So far, 28.8 kilometers of the main canal have been constructed from Brahmadev (Zero Point) to Phuleli in Shuklaphanta Municipality, Pokharel said.

As per the Mahakali Treaty, India has built a 1,200-meter canal from Tanakpur to the Nepal-India border. Although the canal and head regulator have been completed on the Indian side, India has not yet agreed to release water into Nepal’s section of the canal.

“There is no issue with channeling water up to Phuleli, where the main canal is ready, and five to seven branch canals have already been built,” Pokharel added. “We have repeatedly requested water release.” He stated that the overall project progress stands at 27 percent, with an investment of Rs 9 billion so far.

Construction of the canal up to Malakheti began around two years ago. “Work has been delayed mainly due to disputes over compensation, land acquisition, and tree-cutting permissions,” Pokharel explained. “There has been no recent shortage of budget for the project.”

Under the plan, water from the Mahakali River will be channeled for irrigation to Malakheti in Kailali, Tribhuvanbasti in southern Kanchanpur, Gulariya, and Dodhara Chandani, requiring a total of 151 kilometers of canals.

The project aims to complete the canal construction up to Malakheti by 2087. In Kanchanpur, 161,741 hectares of land are cultivable, of which 59,602 hectares (36 percent) are currently cultivated. Since irrigation facilities cover only 29 percent of the area, most farmers still rely heavily on rainfall for farming.

The first and second phases of the Mahakali Irrigation Project have already provided irrigation to 11,600 hectares of land, benefiting Bhimdatta and Bedkot municipalities as well as Beldandi Rural Municipality in the southern part of Kanchanpur.