July 08, Pokhara.
The Siltration Dam built by the Pokhara Metropolitan City has been flooded to stop the annual accumulation of Jagran in the fewa taal. The dam at Harpankhola in Pokhara-23 has been flooded less than two years after its completion.
'The flood that came at night washed away the dam itself. The increased water has now penetrated into the settlements of Thulakhet, 'says Bharatraj Bhandari, Ward Chairman of Pokhara-23. However, damage to six houses in the settlement has already started.
The Harpan River is considered to be the main source of the Fewa taal. It is estimated that 124,000 metric tons of Jagran phewa are reached annually from other tributaries like Harpan. The metropolis and the state had built the dam two years ago saying that they would stop the flood and save the lake.
Five siltation dams have been constructed in different rivers of Phewa. The construction of the Siltration Dam was started with an agreement to complete the construction of the dam within 15 months. The dams have been built at a combined cost of Rs 281.6 million from Gandaki and Pokhara.
The foundation stone was laid by the then Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung and Pokhara Mayor Man Bahadur GC to construct two dams at Betyani Khola, Khare Ghantichhina and Lauruk Khola.
From the beginning, locals were protesting against 'raw materials'
The contract for the construction of the dam was taken by Khadka Khadka / PK JV Dang. An agreement was reached with JV for the construction of the dam for Rs 78.86 million.
The construction of the dam, which started in December 2076 BS, has been controversial since its inception. Less than two months after the construction started, the locals had started protesting after it started collapsing even when touched by a normal hand. They protested against the use of raw materials to speed up and said that it endangered the settlement.
The issue was raised in the state assembly after the 'plaster' started to be removed. However, locals have alleged that the settlement was inundated by the floods as both the state and the metropolis did not pay attention to the quality of the dam.
The people's representatives of Pokhara-23 had protested saying that they were not given any information even when the Siltration Dam was being built in their ward. "I did not speak out against the dam. But, after making it, you have to make a good plaster to make it strong! ' "We have protested that it will damage the settlement," Bhandari told online news.
According to Ward Chairman Bhandari, the accident took place as the garbage collected in the dam could not be removed in time. "The area of the dam has been increased more than the agreement made with the locals at the beginning. We were also asked to pick up the gaggle that had gathered there in time. It happened when I didn't do it, 'he said.
The responsibility of selling stones and sand of the dam to a private company
The metropolis had initially set a target of earning Rs 230 million annually from the five siltation dams built with a total investment of Rs 280 million. Both the metropolis and the state had plans to sell the stones and sand products deposited in the dam and generate economic income.
However, recently the Siltration Dam has been handed over to a private company. Under the Public-Private Partnership (SANISA) scheme, the metropolis has decided to give the right to sell riverine products to a private company called Phewa Siltration Pvt. Ltd. for 24 years. The decision was passed by the 49th executive meeting of the Pokhara metropolis.
