1

Background and
Characteristic
Topics
Drinking water, also known as
potable water, is water that is safe to
drink or to use for food preparation.
The amount of drinking water required
to maintain good health varies, and
depends on physical activity level, age,
health-related issues, and environmental
conditions.
Drinking water as a infrastructure of
development.
Nepal has 2.7% of the available fresh water on
Earth ,making it the second country with more
water reserves in the world.
History
 River ,rivulets ,small ponds
(pokhari), kuwas,dhungedhara etc.
From beginning of Rana Regime
numerous drinking water projects have
been established.
The first systematic water supply
system was constructed by Bir Shumser
under the name of Bir Dhara in 1895
which transported water from
Shivapuri to a centrally located
reservoir in Panipokhari and
distributed water to select locations in
 History
 The first water treatment plant was constructed in
Sundarijal
 The treatment plant consist of sedimentation, coagulation,
rapid sand filtration and chlorination facilities .
 These systems were followed by construction of Tri Bhim
Dhara System which utilized water from Nagarjun hills and
with a reservoir in Balaju.
 Piped water system was for the first time introduced in
Kathmandu valley by the then Prime Minister Bir Shumser
in late 1891 .
 Many five yers projects havr been running since 1950 AD
in Nepal
 With the slow face of development
Present Condition of Drinking Water
 About 1 to 2 billion people lack safe drinking
water around the world, a problem that causes
30,000 deaths each week.

More people die from unsafe water than from

war, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said
in 2010.

According to UNDP
“Nearly 5 million inhabitants of Nepal ,18%
of the population donot have access to safe
drinking water.”
Present Condition of Drinking Water
In 2016, the population of the Valley was
estimated to be 3 million and it has been
estimated to increase to 4 million by 2021.
Current demand of dinking water in
Kathmandu valley only is 320 MLD, but only
120 MLD is being supplied over the
Kathmandu valley .
In the name of development and construction
,the water absorbing land and destructed
making the quantity of groundwater to reduce,
which is the major source for tap and well
water.
Demand Supply Gap of water in Kathmandu
Valley
Present Condition of Drinking Water
As for the condition of outside the valley, e.g
Karnali area The proposed drinking water
projects were estimated to be 80 BUT only
about 20 were successful.
In Terai region, the tube well water which is
arsenic contaminated makes drinking water
unsafe.
Children under the age of five are the most
affected with an estimated 44,000 children
dying every year in Nepal from waterborne
diseases.
BUDGET ALLOCATION AND ITS
IMPLEMANTATION
Yearly the budget allocation for drinking water
projects and management is very large in
amount ,of which very few is used in the actual
work.
For the fiscal year 2018/19 ,the total budget of
Rs24.06 billion has been allocated for the
drinking water .
For the fiscal year 2019/20 ,the total budget of
Rs43 billion has been allocated for the drinking
water .
Haphazard use at end without proper use
 Unfinished projects due to poor management.
DRINKING WATER PROJECTS

Some of the major drinking water project are:

Sundarijal Drinking water project
Nagarkot Drinking water project
Bode Drinking water project
Drinking water project in Siddhipur
Melamchi Drinking water project
 Siddhipur Water Treatment Plant
Siddhipur is located 10 km southeast of Kathmandu in Lalitpur district
Started with the initiation of Siddhipur Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation
Users Committee (SDWSSUC), funding support UN-HABITAT and Water Aid
and technical support of Environment and Public Health Organization
(ENPHO)
Completed in 2007 with a budget of approximately 175,675 US Dollars (13
million Nepalese Rupees)
23 % from the user communities and remaining in the form of aid
Siddhipur Water Treatment Plant
 Siddhipur Water Treatment Plant

Raw water extraction ->Collection Chamber ->Tube Settler ->Slow Sand Filter->Chlorination
Unit ->Reservoir -> Pumping Station ->Overhead Tank ->Distribution network.
 Siddhipur Water Treatment Plant
WATER INTAKE
• The surface water from Godavari River is being used as the main source of
water supply
• Collected water at the intake is diverted to the WTP by a 3.5 km transmission
using high-density polyethylene pipe of diameter 140 mm, with two air valves
along the transmission line.
 Siddhipur Water Treatment Plant
Collection chamber
• Water collection chamber of 6 m3 volume
• It is cleaned manually when it is filled with debris.
Sedimentation
• Includes one tube settler (Figure A) with 4500 tubes of 90 cm length of 50 mm
diameter. The tubes are inclined at a 60° from horizontal.
• The sludge from the tube
settlers during the
cleaning operation is
collected through a drain
pipe located at the
bottom of the Tube
Settler unit (Figure B).
 Siddhipur Water Treatment Plant
Slow sand filter
• Water after sedimentation is treated by slow sand filtration (SSF) unit with a
dimension of 12 length, 8 m breadth, and 3 m depth and with media depth of
coarse gravel - 50 cm, fine gravel- 40 cm and sand - 90 cm.
 Siddhipur Water Treatment Plant
Disinfection Unit
• The treated water is disinfected in drip chlorinator
unit (Figure 5).
• There is a single chlorinator unit.
 Siddhipur Water Treatment Plant
Storage and distribution
• The disinfected water is then stored in a single reservoir unit of 250 m3 and then
pumped to the overhead tank (50 m3 )
• During non-peak hours, the clean water stored in a ground reservoir can be
distributed directly with gravitational flow.
• The clean water from storage
reservoir is pumped to the
overhead tank which is utilized
during the peak hours
Melamchi Water

Supply Project
 Melamchi Water Supply Project
 Melamchi Water Supply Project comes as a much needed
respite(relief) from the acute shortage of drinking water in Kathmandu
Valley.
First studied in 1990 AD.
Project established in 1998 AD.
 It comprises two major components:
1. A scheme that diverts 170 million lt/d of water from Melamchi River in
Sindhupalchowk district and transmit it to the water treatment plant in
Sundarijal, Kathmandu through a 26.5 km long tunnel.
2. Distribution of the water through bulk distribution systems as well as
improvement of existing water supply systems to supplement the water supply
from Melamchi project.
The initial capacity of the treatment plant will be 170 million lit/d
 Melamchi Water Supply Project
 The capacity will be expanded in two
more phases to treat up to 510
million lit/d of water.
Contributing the supply by adding about
a further 170 MLD each from the Yangri
and Larke rivers, which lie in the
upstream proximity of Melamchi are
also being investigated as future supply
sources (Sub Project II)
This may be able to meet the current
demand of 370 million lit/day of water
BUT will be insufficient in the near
future.
 Melamchi Water Supply Project
Introduction
• Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited(KUKL) is the main authority to
manage and control the Operation and management of water supply and
waste water services in Kathmandu valley:
• According to it:
 Melamchi Water Supply Project
Project Objective
• The primary objective of the Project is to alleviate the chronic shortage
of drinking water in Kathmandu Valley on a sustainable long-term basis,
and thereby to improve the health and well-being of its inhabitants,
particularly the poor.
• The project is designed to serve good quality drinking water as per World
Health Organization’s guideline to feed in improved distribution network
as set out by the Melamchi Water Supply Project – Subproject II.
• Further to this, project also aims a reliable, affordable, consumer
oriented and sustainable drinking water supply and sanitation services
in the Kathmandu Valley.
 Melamchi Water Supply Project
FINANCIAL BRIEF
MWSP was initially estimated to cost 317.32 million USD
However the revised cost of the project is 355.4 million USD
The contribution of major donors in MWSP is enlisted below:
Melamchi Water Supply Project
Melamchi Water Supply Project
Melamchi Water Supply Project
 Melamchi Water Supply Project
Technical Description of Melamchi Diversion Scheme
 Melamchi Water Supply Project
Technical Description of Melamchi Diversion Scheme
Melamchi Water Supply Project
 3
Dissatisfaction
1
of Local Peope

Corruption

3
2

Lack of

3
3 Materials

3
Political
4
causes
3
 3
Provide necessary
1
alternatives to locals

Strict laws and

3
2 Implementation

Provision of

3
3 Infrastructures

3
Political
4
Stability
3
 TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS
 The location of the treatment plant is near Mahankal, a village on the left bank of
the Bagmati River.
About 12km northeast of Kathmandu city.
 Located at an elevation of 1400m  so enables the distribution of water by gravity
flow to existing and newly constructed water reservoir tanks.
 Designed to treat 170 million litres/day of water.
 Will be expanded up to 510 million litres/day in three phases.
The water treatment process is conventional in nature
comprising::::
1. pre-treatment
2. Sedimentation
3. lime dosing
4. rapid sand filtration &
5. disinfection
TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS

Treatment Plant of Sundarijal

 TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS
PROCESS
1. The water is first collected in a regulation basin from which it is passed on
to the aerator for pre-treatment
2. Then, alum and lime are added to the water in a chemical dosing facility.
3. Water is then passed on to a flocculation tank where colloids are removed.
4. After this, water is passed on to a sedimentation tank to remove
suspended solids.
5. Water is treated on a rapid sand filtration tank. A backwashing mechanism
is provided in the filtration unit to facilitate periodic cleaning.
6. The treated water is stored in a clear water tank where it is disinfected
using chlorine.
7. The water is then distributed to the consumers from various distribution
network laid across the Valley.
TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS
TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS
TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS

Filtration Plant of Sundarijal

TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION PROCESS
PROJECT BENEFITS
PROJECT BENEFITS
Thank you very much