Nepalgunj, Apr. 3: Farmers have started to use the water released along the 39-km main eastern canal of the Sikta Irrigation Project. It is a national pride project.
According to the project, water has been released for the farmers along the eastern canal daily from the main dam in Agaiya after its construction was completed recently.
The project had already completed the construction of the 42.25-km-long main western canal and its 5 subsidiary canals (Akalgharwa, Gohawa, Prasenipur, Pidari-branch and Sidhaniya-branch) and been releasing water for irrigation.
Bishal Yadav, senior divisional engineer of the project said that the constructions of the eastern main canal and its 6 auxiliary canals have been completed.
While the project has now provided irrigation facility in 4,200 hectares of land through the eastern canal and 16,000 hectares of land through the western one, it plans to irrigate a total of 9,000 hectares and 33,766 hectares of land in the east and west respectively.
The contract of the eastern canal was awarded to Kalika-Kumar JV on August 25, 2017, under an investment of over Rs. 3 billion. According to Sujit Shrestha, director of the construction company, the construction of the Sikta Irrigation Project by constructing a dam on the Rapti River in Agaiya, Banke district was started from the fiscal year 2004/05.
