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American TBM begins excavation of Sunkoshi-Marine Diversion

KATHMANDU: Tunnel digging for construction of the Sunkoshi-Marin Diversion multi-purpose project in Sindhuli is starting today.

The Sunkoshi-Marine Diversion Project is about to dig a tunnel with an Automatic Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM).

According to officials of the project, this project will provide year-round irrigation facilities in most of the part of Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat and Bara districts of Central Terai and 31.7 megawatts of electricity will also be generated.

Mitra Baral, the head of the project, said that the TBM made by the American company Robins will start digging the tunnel from Marinkhola side. “This is exactly the technology used in the Bhari-Babai diversion project,” he said.

According to project manager Mitra Baral, the contractor company China Overseas Construction Company Limited has made a schedule so that the tunnel can be dug within 24 months. He said that if there is no geological problem, the work of digging the tunnel will be completed within the scheduled timeline.

The then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone of this project on 2077 BS, without signing the contract.

How is the project made?

This project is mainly focused on irrigation. However, it is called a multi-purpose project because electricity is also generated while diverting water.

The Irrigation Department has been explaining this project as a campaign to improve the agricultural sector of Madhesh province. The government believes that the project will be fruitful to increase agricultural production by bringing the water resources of Bagmati province to Madhesh province.

A dam will be built 700 meters below the confluence of Tamakosi and Sunakosi and the water of Sunakosi will be pumped into Marin through a tunnel. Marine water will reach Bagmati River and through the Bagmati Irrigation Project, irrigation facilities can be provided to an additional area of ​​122,000 hectares.

The water falling in the Marin will reach a dam tied to the Bagmati River 40 km below and will be taken to the Bagmati irrigation canal.

There is a plan to generate electricity by building a power house when water is poured into Marin. The electricity produced by the project will be connected to the national transmission line. After the construction of this project, 64 cubic meters of water per second of Sunkosi will fall into Marinkhola.

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