KOHALPUR, June 8: Bheri-Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project has completed digging 150-meter tunnel in just five months. 

China Overseas Engineering Group (COVEC) -- the contractor for the national pride project -- dug the tunnel to prepare base for tunnel boring machine (TBM) that it plans to bring by August to complete 12-kilometer tunnel in the Chure hills.

The contractor managed to complete the 150-meter tunnel in just five months. It had started work from January 1.

According to Li Chyang, Bheri-Babai in-charge of COVEC, the first phase of tunneling has been completed in five months. “Remaining work will be completed by TBM which will be here within two months,” he added.

He said that the TBM is ready for shipment in Shanghai. The TBM will arrive in Kolkata port, and then transported to Nepal, according to Chyang. He further added that laborers were working in two shifts to complete the project in time.

COVEC had deployed 96 workers to dig the 5.6-meter wide tunnel. The company plans to complete the project in four years.

The company plans to complete the project in three phases. In the first phase, it will dig a 12-kilometer tunnel to divert waters of Bheri River to Babai. Similarly, it will build a hydropower project 48 MW capacity in the second phase before building irrigation facility for providing irrigation to 51,000 hectares of land in Banke and Bardiya in the third phase.

 
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