Mahendranagar. The third phase of the Mahakali Irrigation Project initiated 18 years ago with a target to provide irrigation facility to 33,520 hectares of land in Kanchanpur and Kailali districts, has made 27 percent progress.

The irrigation projects have not progressed as per the expectation due to lack of budget, difficulty in distribution of land compensation and cutting down of trees. According to Rajesh Bhakta Pokharel, CDE of Mahakali Irrigation Project, the construction of the project has gained momentum after the government upgraded it to the national pride project.

“The construction of the main canal was slow before it was included in the national pride project”, said CDE Pokharel, adding, “Currently, the construction of the 19-km main canal up to Malakheti of Kailali is going on in four packages”. A contract agreement of Rs 1.97 billion has been signed for the construction of the main canal of four packages. The deadline for all four packages has been extended for the first time some time ago after the contract agreement made about two years ago could not be completed on time.

Presenting the budget for the fiscal year 2082/83, the government has set a target to complete the third phase of the Mahakali Irrigation Project within three years. The third phase of the Mahakali Irrigation Project was started in the fiscal year 2063/64 BS and the government included it in the national pride project in the fiscal year 2076/77 BS. According to CDE Pokharel, the 28.8-km main canal has been constructed from Brahmadev (Zero Point) to Phuleli of Shuklaphanta Municipality under the main canal so far.

The Indian side has constructed the 1,200-metre main canal from Tanakpur up to the Nepal-India border as per the Mahakali Treaty. Although the Indian side has constructed canals and head regulators up to the border after waiting for decades, the Indian side has not been positive to provide water to the completed areas.

“There is no problem in supplying water to Phuleli where the main canal is ready, five to seven branch canals have also been constructed,” Pokharel said. According to him, the project has so far made 27 per cent progress and Rs 9 billion has already been invested in the project.

The main canal is being constructed in four packages till Malakheti about two years ago. “The project could not move much due to the dissatisfaction of the locals in determining the compensation, the problem of land and confusion in the felling of trees. Under the project, water will be supplied to Malakheti of Kailali, Tribhuvan Basti, Gulariya and Dodhara Chandani in the southern part of Kanchanpur for irrigation in the Mahakali River. A total of 151 kilometres of canal needs to be constructed.

According to the project office, the construction of canal up to Malakheti of Kailali district is moving ahead with the target of completing the canal by 2087 BS. Kanchanpur has total arable land of 161,741 hectares. Of this, 59,602 hectares or 36 per cent land is cultivated. Only 29 percent of the total land area in the district has irrigation facility and farmers are compelled to depend on rainwater.

The Mahakali Irrigation Project has provided irrigation facility to 11,600 hectares of land from the first and second phases. The first and second phases of irrigation had provided irrigation facility to Bhimdutta and Bedkot municipalities as well as Beldandi rural municipality in the southern part of the district.