KATHMANDU, May 22: Three years ago, the government signed an agreement with the joint venture company Passavant-Kalika S&A JV to clean the Tukucha River, which flows through central Kathmandu, and channel clean water into the Bagmati River.
The agreement required the contractor to complete all work by June 5, 2025. However, the contractor has completed only 15 percent of the work so far.
Passavant, a German company, and Kalika, a Nepali firm, formed the joint venture. The contractor has already received an advance payment of Rs 223.53 million from the government. Yet, progress remains minimal, with only foundation pile installation for design and building construction completed to date.
The 62nd annual report of the Office of the Auditor General has raised serious concerns over the delay, highlighting the contractor's lack of progress despite the funding.
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The High-Powered Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee, under the Ministry of Urban Development, signed a Rs 3.18 billion contract with the contractor company on June 6, 2022. The committee assigned the company to design, build, and operate a sewage treatment facility for the Tukucha River by June 5, 2025. The agreement also required the contractor to operate and maintain the plant for five years before handing it over to the committee.
As the contractor failed to complete the construction on time, Narayan Bhandari, Member Secretary of the Bagmati Development Committee, said the committee has written to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) requesting a deadline extension.
The government is financing the project with a 20 percent investment, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing 80 percent through loan assistance. Because ADB is funding the majority, the committee must obtain its approval to extend the project deadline. Member Secretary Narayan Bhandari said the committee would extend the deadline as soon as ADB grants approval.
He noted that the water purification machines must come from Germany, but they have not arrived yet. As per the agreement, Kalika is handling the building construction, while the German company is managing the technical work. However, construction progress has remained minimal.
Member Secretary Narayan Bhandari said delays in the design phase, tree clearance issues, obstructions from Lalitpur Metropolitan City-1, and negligence by the contractor prevented them from completing the project by the scheduled date of June 5. He added that they are taking the project seriously and will almost certainly extend the deadline.
The construction company agreed to divert the treated water from the cleaned Tukucha River to the right side and send the sludge collected after treatment to the left side of the Bagmati River. The project estimates producing one truckload of sludge daily after the cleaning process.
Information Officer Uddhav Nepal of the Bagmati Development Committee said the committee agreed to send the sludge to the left side of the Bagmati River and transport the waste (sludge) by truck to the landfill site. However, the chairperson of Lalitpur Metropolitan City–1 obstructed the plan to send the sludge to the left side of the Bagmati River, causing some delays, according to a committee employee.
Committee staff said cleaning the Tukucha River and sending the treated water to the Bagmati will help clean and purify the Bagmati River. Under the agreement, the Tukucha River sewage treatment plant can clean 17 million liters of water per second. Committee employees believe this will keep the Tukucha River clean even during the dry season and prevent foul odors.
The Nepali consultancy ERMC leads this project. Uddhav Chaulagain, ERMC's head, said the consultancy has sent monthly reminder letters to the construction company urging them to complete the project on time. He added that the consultancy cannot take responsibility for the construction delays.
The Tukucha River originates from Tudal Temple in Kathmandu and flows into the Bagmati River basin, passing through key areas of the city. Because the river's accumulated wastewater remains untreated, it emits a strong, foul odor, especially during the dry season. To solve this issue, authorities launched the Tukucha sewage treatment plant project.
