Dhangadhi — The procurement master plan of the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project has increased from NPR 12 billion to NPR 29 billion over a span of about 14 years. This national pride project, operating in Sudurpashchim, begins near the Karnali Bridge at Chisapani in Kailali.
The project, which was initiated in the fiscal year 2011/12 with the goal of completion by 2018/19, had its procurement master plan of NPR 12.63 billion approved by the Ministry of Irrigation in February 2012. However, by the targeted fiscal year 2018/19, even 48% of the work had not been completed.
In March 2018, with the goal of completing the project by 2025/26, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation approved an updated procurement master plan worth NPR 27.70 billion. Of this, the Government of Nepal allocated NPR 17.74 billion, while the World Bank provided a loan assistance of NPR 9.95 billion. However, according to project information officer Navin Paudel, a revised master plan worth NPR 29 billion has recently been approved, extending the project timeline to 2025/26.
“The project’s budget and work scope have increased due to infrastructure strengthening, changes in compensation rates, and additional tasks such as the regulation of the Karnali, Mohana, and Pathariya rivers,” said Paudel. “So far, NPR 20 billion has been spent.”
According to Paudel, only 75% of the work scheduled for completion within this fiscal year has been completed so far. However, he stated that significant achievements have been made in infrastructure development.
The project’s objective is to provide irrigation and other facilities to a population of 200,000 in Tikapur Municipality, Janaki Rural Municipality, and Lamkichuha Municipality of Kailali district (formerly eight VDCs: Pathariya, Durgouli, Janakinagar, Pratappur, Dhansinghpur, Narayanpur, Baliya, and Munuwa).
Under this, the Rani Jamara Kulariya irrigation system will cover 14,300 hectares, the expansion of the new branch canal (Lamki extension) will cover 6,000 hectares, and the expansion of the irrigated area from Pathariya to Kandra River will add 18,000 hectares, making a total of 38,300 hectares of cultivable land with year-round irrigation facilities.
According to project officials, irrigation services have currently reached 20,000 hectares of land.
Eight years after the project’s initiation, the initial testing of the Rani-Jamara-Kulariya irrigation canal was conducted in July 2019.
Currently, the project has started generating 4.71 MW of electricity from the irrigation canal, and since January 2024, the generated electricity has been connected to the 132 kV transmission line in Lamki, according to the project officials.
According to the project’s information officer, Paudel, approximately 34 kilometers of the main canal have been constructed. This includes 8.875 kilometers from the intake to the new branch entrance, 10.60 kilometers of feeder canal from there to the source of the Rani canal system, and 14.60 kilometers of canal extending westward to the Patharaiya River under the Lamki expansion. “The main canal is currently flowing at a rate of 100 cubic meters per second,” said Paudel.
Another major achievement of this project is the production of 4.71 megawatts of electricity. Electricity has been generated from three Kaplan turbines by dropping water approximately 7.5 meters from the Katase Canal in Kailali, under the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project. The electricity produced at the power station there has been connected to the national transmission line. The 4.71 megawatts of electricity produced from the power station constructed at Katase in Janaki Municipality-9 has been connected to the national transmission line.
Kumarraj Shahi, the chairperson of the Rani Jamara Kulariya Water Consumers’ Main Committee, states that work is being carried out in phases under the project. He said, “In the first phase, the intake, canal, and electricity plan have been constructed.” He mentioned that water has been released into the Patharaiya River through Dudedjhari. Additionally, he noted that the construction of embankments in Karnali, Pathariya, and Mohana, as well as road infrastructure upgrades, and the construction of bridges and culverts, have also been completed during this period.
Under the project, the contracts for the Rani, Jamara, and Kulariya sectors have been awarded separately. According to Shahi, the work under the Jamara contract has been completed. “Seventy percent of the work in Kulariya has been done, while the least progress is in the Rani sector. Gauri Parvati Construction Services has only completed 38 percent of the work so far,” Shahi said, adding that despite various levels of pressure, that company has not been performing any work. He also mentioned that a cold storage facility with a capacity of 1,000 metric tons is being constructed in Tikapur under the project. The main water consumers’ committee is an important collaborative component of the project, based on the concept of community participation, and Shahi is the chairperson. He stated, “Irrigation facilities are being provided in villages like Jagatpur and Suvarnapur in Janaki Municipality, as well as in Tikapur, through water flowing from modern irrigation canals.”
The history of the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project spans more than a century. Among the Rani Jamara and Kulariya canals located in the eastern region of Kailali, the Rani Canal is the oldest. The Rani Canal was constructed in 1997 under the initiative of Rani Padmakumari Shah. Local residents state that this canal has been known as the Rani Canal to this day, named after Rani Padmakumari.
During the Rana era, the Tikapur area was under the domain of Suvarna Shamsher. As it was a fertile region, the Tharu community was brought from Dang to construct canals for expanding settlements. At that time, it was customary to send Tharus to dig canals and, in return for their work, feed them pork. The Rani Canal provided irrigation facilities to approximately 48 villages in the Tikapur area.
Another canal is the Jamara Canal. Approximately 120 years ago, Colonel Dhundiraj Shahi initiated the construction of the Jamara Canal. At that time, this canal provided irrigation facilities to 38 villages. Another canal is the Kulariya Canal. Around 90 years ago, local farmers Madhu Mahto and Kanhaiya Mahto led the construction of the Kulariya irrigation canal. This canal, at that time, provided irrigation facilities to about 33 villages. The villagers used the water from the Karnali River to construct traditional canals, which made agriculture in the Tikapur area lush and fertile.
Local residents state that the Rani Jamara and Kulariya systems consist of three main canals, 48 sub-branches, and 1,000 auxiliary branches. Once a year, a canal digging campaign would be conducted. After the village leaders announced the plan to dig canals, everyone would come together to start the digging and maintenance work. This gathering was known locally as “Deshavar.” During the Deshavar, thousands of local residents who participated in the canal maintenance would eat and stay together. They would camp around the canal and spend the night there until the work was completed.
Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Canal is considered the first and largest irrigation canal in South Asia managed traditionally by the community,” said Prem Bhat from Tikapur. The government initiated the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project in 2011 to construct a multi-purpose modern structure along with the irrigation system for that canal.
On one hand, the government is spending billions of rupees to construct irrigation projects, while on the other hand, cultivable land is being fragmented and turned into residential areas at the local level. Local residents state that the irrigated area of the national pride Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project is experiencing fragmentation due to urbanization and industrial development.
“Local markets within the project’s command area of 38,300 hectares are becoming increasingly urbanized. The establishment of food and other factories in Lamki-Chuha and Bahuni, which are located along the highway, is also contributing to the development of the area as an industrial zone. Additionally, Tikapur has already been developed as a tourist city.”
In recent times, due to industrialization and urbanization, there has been a significant increase in population and migration pressure. Fertile agricultural land is being fragmented and gradually disappearing due to land plotting.
Local residents say that discussions about establishing an industrial zone in Dudedjhadi, Lamki, have led some businessmen to purchase land in anticipation of future developments. “In a few years, the fertile agricultural land within five kilometers of the highway will be transformed into urban areas,” said Bir Bahadur Rawal from Lamki. “It is essential for the government and local authorities to develop a master plan to determine how much land should be allocated for urban expansion and how much should be preserved for agriculture.” He warned that if land plotting is not controlled, the billions spent on the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project could go to waste.
Source: Kantipur – Arjun Shah
