Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal speaks during a tunnel breakthrough ceremony in Sindhuli, Nepal on May 8, 2024. A 13.3-km-long tunnel under Nepal's Sunkoshi Marin diversion multipurpose project was completed on Wednesday, 12 months ahead of schedule. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
KATHMANDU, May 8 (Xinhua) -- A 13.3-km-long tunnel under Nepal's Sunkoshi Marin diversion multipurpose project was completed on Wednesday, 12 months ahead of schedule.
Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal hailed it as a "transformative national pride project" contributing to the country's national economy, productivity and prosperity.
After the prime minister pushed the button, a double-shield tunnel boring machine broke through the last section of the tunnel within minutes, to the applause from the audience.
The tunnel is the main part of the Sunkoshi Marin diversion multipurpose project, which is aimed at diverting water from the Sunkoshi River to the Marin River through the tunnel to irrigate 122,000 hectares of farmland in the districts of Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rauthat and Bara in the Terai Plains.
In addition, a powerhouse is being built to generate 28.62 megawatts of electricity to alleviate the shortage of power supply in the area.
"This is a transformative national pride project," Dahal said at the breakthrough ceremony held in Sindhuli district, where the project is situated. "The completion of such projects contributes to the country's national economy, productivity and prosperity."
He noted that while agriculture contributes to one third of Nepal's gross domestic product, there is not enough water flow in winter and spring in the Terai region which boasts the country's 60 percent of arable land.
He voiced his belief that the project will not just support the country's economy, but also help reduce trade imbalance contributed by food imports.
"I also believe that the project will support skill and technology transfer, and enhance the capacity of our institutions," said the prime minister.
"Our Chinese enterprises have performed their own advantages, contributed Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions, and cooperated with the technical personnel from Nepal to overcome all the difficulties such as geological conditions, logistics problems and long period of monsoon time, but finished the project 12 months ahead of schedule, which shows the Chinese speed with high quality and high standards," Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song said at the ceremony, which drew some 200 participants including ministers and lawmakers. ■
Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song speaks during a tunnel breakthrough ceremony in Sindhuli, Nepal on May 8, 2024. A 13.3-km-long tunnel under Nepal's Sunkoshi Marin diversion multipurpose project was completed on Wednesday, 12 months ahead of schedule. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
This photo taken on May 8, 2024 shows the last section of a tunnel broken through by a double-shield tunnel boring machine in Sindhuli, Nepal. A 13.3-km-long tunnel under Nepal's Sunkoshi Marin diversion multipurpose project was completed on Wednesday, 12 months ahead of schedule. (Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)
