Sindhuli, Dec. 13: Construction of a dam of the Sunkoshi-Marin Diversion Multi-Purpose Project, a national pride project, has begun in the Sunkosi River. 

On Tuesday, former Prime Minister and Chairman of CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli inspected the dam site as part of his Sankalp Yatra, a journey from Jhulaghat, Baitadi, to Chiwabhanjyang, Panchathar. On the occasion, Mitra Baral, the head of the project, informed that a 13.3 kilometres long tunnel of the project was being constructed. Additionally, construction of a 30-metre-high and 158-metre-long dam along the Sunkosi River has also begun.

Baral said that 10.5 kilometres of the tunnel, whose construction began in October, last year, has now been dug. The construction of the dam on the Sunkosi River, 900 metres down the confluence of Sunkosi and Tamakosi, has begun, he added.

He said that the Patel-Raman JV signed an agreement in January 2022 for the construction of the dam for Rs. 14.7 billion to complete the construction in four years. “But, due to the increase in the flow of water in the Sunkosi River, the construction of the dam could not be completed within the given deadline,” he added.

He said, “Since the snow melts after February, the water level in the Sunkosi River will rise and immediately after this, the rainy season begins making it impossible to continue the work. Thus, the construction of the dam starts from October to November and lasts only for six months a year.” According to Baral, the construction work is progressing according to the plan, intending to complete the project by October 2027. He noted that the initial project cost was around Rs. 46 billion, but as per the latest update, it has increased to Rs. 49.42 billion.

As a part of the project, 965 metres of the BP Highway will be submerged during the dam construction on the Sunkosi River, and plans are underway to relocate the highway, Baral said.

Former Prime Minister Oli said that he had laid the foundation stone of the national pride Sunkoshi-Marin diversion multi-purpose project when he was the prime minister and that the work was currently underway.

Baral said that the tunnel construction was currently in the first phase while the construction of the dam has progressed to the second phase. “The tunnel construction started in October 2022, and it will take 22 months to complete the construction.”

After constructing the dam on Sunkoshi River, 67 cusecs of water per second will be pumped through the tunnel to the Marin Khola in Kamalamai Municipality-2 Kusumtar. 

The project will produce 31.7MW of electricity. 

A new concept is being studied to generate 40 to 50 MW electricity 

by using that water after pouring water into the Marin River, Baral informed.

The generated electricity will be connected to Nawalpur substation under the national grid through two double-circuit transmission lines. 

The main physical structures to be constructed under the project are tunnels, headworks and powerhouse. 

The project started from the fiscal year 2020/2021 and the target is to complete it by 2027/2028.

According to the project, the main objective of the multi-purpose project is to provide irrigation facilities in Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari and Dhanusha districts along with electricity generation.