February 2: The Helambu-Melamchi Flood Victims Concern Committee has stated that they will not allow the Melamchi Water Supply Project to undertake any work until their demands are met.

The committee handed over a memorandum with a six-point demand to the project's executive director Basudev Poudel on Tuesday. The committee has warned to stop all of the works of the Melamchi Water Supply Project until the demands of the flood-affected locals are implemented.

President of the Helambu-Melamchi Flood Victims Concern Committee, Bharat Thapa said that the work of the project will be stopped completely from February 3. “We have informed the Melamchi Water Supply Project, the Asian Development Bank, and the Sindhupalchok District Administration Office that the project will be completely shut down from February 3 if the demand of the locals is not met,” Thapa said.

He said that the work of the project will be stopped by holding a public hearing on February 3 at Kiul Bagar in Helambu. Thapa said that the project work has to be stopped because of the negligence and irresponsibility of the concerned bodies working in the affected areas even after nine months of the floods.

The committee has demanded that the stones, sand, and ballast should be stored in a safe place while cleaning the source of the tunnel, and comply with the agreement reached for long term development.  The committee has also demanded that the budget should be provided with necessary equipment for the conservation of remaining settlements and cultivable land in the Melamchi river basin area. Moreover, the committee has also demanded that the Melamchi-Timbu road connecting the source of the river should be upgraded immediately so that it can be operated even during the rainy season and the preparation of a detailed study report for the reconstruction of the lower coastal area and risk reduction from the catchment area of ​​the source of Melamchi river.

Receiving the memorandum along with the demand submitted by the committee, the project's executive director Poudel said that since the headworks of Melamchi Water Supply Project at Ambathan and reconstruction of other physical infrastructure of the project have been initiated, the demand of the locals will be gradually addressed. “We are working systematically. The locals also need to support the project,” he said, adding, “Halting the work alone is not the solution to the problem. We are trying to address the demands of the locals.”

The committee found that the main reason for the massive damage caused by the flood in Melamchi River was a large amount of cement, poles, chemicals, and other construction materials, heavy equipment, raw materials piled up at the project site, and unmanaged dumping in Ambathan.

The committee has emphasized that the project should focus mainly on protection of livelihood of flood-affected people, systematic rehabilitation of displaced families, relocation and reclamation of land for the livelihood of affected families, protection of farms and personal and public property and reconstruction of damaged roads, irrigation, school buildings, crematoriums, temples, and other public infrastructure.

The government has entered into an agreement with Chinese company Sino Hydro to reconstruct the project and divert water following the damage caused by flooding of  the Melamchi River and landslides on June 15. The Chinese company, which was handed the contract after the government allocated Rs 360 million to repair the project, has already started the work of reconstruction.