Water is one of the basic human necessities but a large proportion of the Nepalese population is devoid of access to safe and adequate drinking water.. The major work under this scheme is the construction of Diversion tunnel approximately 26.3 km long excavated by drill and blast method in order to divert 170 MLD of raw water from Melamchi River to Sundarijal outlet where the raw water is treated before sending it to Bulk Distribution System (BDS). The contract for construction of headworks and tunnel was awarded on 19 February 2009 with intended completion date of 2 September 2013. Actual physical works started in April 2010. But due to the unsatisfactory performance of the Contractor it was terminated on 25 September 2012.
