China-built water diversion project in Nepal sees breakthrough

A ceremony was held on Tuesday to celebrate the breakthrough of the tunnel of Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP) constructed by a Chinese contractor in Surkhet district of Karnali Province in western Nepal.

A breakthrough ceremony held for the China-built Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project in Nepal on April 16, 2019. [Photo provided by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal]

Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi, Nepali Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun, and U.S. ambassador Randy Berry attended the ceremony.

The main part of Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP) has been completed almost one year earlier than its original duration. Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi said at the ceremony that the success of the project shows the "speed of China." Meanwhile, it is also a result of international cooperation, characterized by the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) manufactured by America and the design and construction completed by Chinese contractor, China Overseas Engineering Group Co. Ltd, added Hou.

China's Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi speaks at the breakthrough ceremony. [Photo provided by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal]

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that the success of the project has encouraged the Nepali people and made them feel proud about the future. He added the project becomes the symbol of cooperation and friendship between Nepal, China and America, while helping the country's agriculture in the process of modernization.

A breakthrough ceremony held for the China-built Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project in Nepal on April 16, 2019. [Photo provided by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal]

Nepali Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barsha Man Pun described the use of this globally advanced technology for the tunnel as a historical revolution in the construction sector. He said the project has taken into consideration Nepali needs and is a model of international cooperation.

The main part of the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project (BBDMP) is a 12.2-kilometer tunnel, which aims to provide an irrigation system to 51,000 hectares of land in Banke and Bardiya districts, so as to ease the food crisis in the region by increasing agricultural yields.