What are the pros and cons of the news? .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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ADB warns of withdrawal from Melamchi

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has warned of pulling out of multi-million-dollar Melamchi drinking water project after Minister for Works and Physical Planning Hishila Yami wrote a letter to the Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Limited expressing the government's inability to sign management contract for valley water distribution.

According to Kantipur daily, Yami, who is a senior Maoist leader, wrote a letter stating that the government does not wish to go for management contract for the time being.

The ADB, when it agreed to provide loan assistance of $140 million to the project, had laid down the precondition that valley's water distribution management should be handed over to foreign private sector company.

The letter signed by acting Secretary at the Ministry Purna Prasad Kadariya states that the government will not provide 'letter of award' since the minister wants to take the proposal to the cabinet for reviewing the management contract.

Earlier, the cabinet had approved awarding the contract to a British company Severn Trent. As per the approval, the Severn Trent should have been handed over the management job by May 15.

On the other hand, the daily quotes sources as saying that Keichi Tamaki, an ADB official who looks after the project, has warned that failure to sign management contract would lead to revocation of the bank's assistance to the project. nepalnews.com sd May 09 07

And Mr. Newstudent..huna ta i am not a big fan of Arundhati roy but i do not discard her bhasans too. Her bhasans also have logic in them.

jung,

this is what you think the proof of countries exacerbated by dams? This is a wholesale picture of economy as a whole, not restricted to anything. That mismanagement stemmed from several facts, ineptitude and venality of leadership are key factors contributing to this, not to mention institutional set up of the countries themselves.

Once cost benefit analysis has been introduced, the number of dams made has gone significantly lower. Today no big dams are built without significant cost benefit analysis. (this is true for dams built after 1980s). Arun is ALWAYS considered to be the best one to start with.

Of course, dams cost much. These days the countries where it is most expensive to build dam are in Africa, and the cheapest is in China. Lack of road and mismanagement is key to rising cost in Africa. This is also true in the case of Nepal. But having done cost benefit analysis beforehand, and all other things being equal, dams are good: they regulate water, and regulated water is better than unregulated water. You can time the irrigation, and on top of that, you can produce hydroelectricity at the time of release of water. Hydro is one of the cheapest and cleanest source of energy that also has benefit of being "storage" (by managing timing well).

While countries like Switzerland earn shitload of money on their hydro "rent", and have exhausted 80% of their hydropotential, and still remained pristine by all account, to nitpick over dams in Nepal is childish, stupid, ignorant and antidevelopment. God bless those bikash-borodhis of Nepal:)

An update on the issue...

===========
SAAPE condemns ADB precondition on Valley's water management

South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) has condemned the precondition laid down by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), imposing the Nepal Government to set up the Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Limited in order to hand over the distribution and management contract of the Valley's drinking water to a British multinational company.

“Privatization is the usual weapon of conditionality used by the ADB for releasing its funds. ADB is now threatening that if the contract is not awarded to STWI by May 15, it would terminate its loan number 1820, worth US $ 120 million, committed to the project,” a SAAPE press statement said Friday, adding, “SAAPE vehemently condemns the arm twisting tactics of the ADB on the poor Nepalese people."

ADB, which is the largest donor to the multi-billion rupees Melamchi Drinking Water project, is said to have been pressuring the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works to award the water distribution and management contract to UK 's Severn Trent Water International (STWI).

To ADB’s displeasure, physical planning minister Hisila Yami recently wrote to the Limited saying that the government would not sign the management contract for the time being.

Saying that water is too precious and too basic a human right to be placed at the mercy of multinational companies, SAAPE further said, “Water needs to be protected from predatory capitalism promoters, like the ADB, who forces privatization as a pre-condition for loans to developing countries."

"Inevitably, water then becomes more expensive and the quality drops contrary to higher quality claims by the so-called experts and promoters. It’s the common people, especially the poor who then suffer as the soaring water price makes it impossible for them to afford the otherwise widely and easily available natural resource,” the statement further said, describing the ADB’s precondition as “violation of human rights”.

“SAAPE also extends its support and solidarity to Hisila Yami, Minister for Physical Planning and Works for her firm and committed stance against water privatization invading the country.” nepalnews.com mk May 011 07

Infact Melamchi Drinking Water Project corruption and collasped answer by Deuba.

I must be in Prison.

He corrupt Melamchi Drinking Water Project money with Senior Project Engineers, Accountant and his ministers.

Most of them already move and are living Lavishly in USA.

Nepal government must consulte with US government and arrest as well as seize their properties.

In the truth and Reality....

All Nepal development project must be hand over to FORIEGN COMPANIES.

Foriegn companies 99.9% work honestly, timely and with standard quality of work. They will have high technology, high quality skill and resources. They do not do briber, corruption and fail project. Maybe it is costly but Nepal and Nepalese people get quality product, service, guareenty of work.

Nepali Engineers, Project managers, Supervisor, politicians and Ministers are always FIRST THINK HOW CAN THEY DO CORRUTPION AND EARN EASY FAST MONEY from Development Projects.

In Nepal, 60% development project are never ever started, 40% project half finished and do know when project gonna finished, and 10% only hardly finished but very very low quality work and must repair every year.

ज्ञानेले शाहि आयोग लगाएर मेलम्चि तुहाउन खोज्नु र क्रन्तिकारि हिसिला यमीले निजीकरणको बाहनामा तुहाउनुमा कार्यगत् एकता देखिंदैन र मित्र हरु? सन् २००१ जुन ६ मा कामरेड् बाबु राम पति महोदय माननिय मन्त्री, ले राजा बीरेन्द्रको हत्या पछि कान्तिपुर दैनिकमा लेखेको लेखमा"स्वर्गिय "राजा सङ कार्यगत एकता थियो" भनेको काकताली होइन रैछ जस्तो लाग्यो।
पढ्नुस् तल को लिन्कहरु।
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnepalinews.php?&nid=109777
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnepalinews.php?&nid=109781

Bitch Hisila is looking for another source of funding by getting fu**cked her pussy and ass. Good luk u bitch. wish u get more fu**ker and finally u get more money so that u can invest on Melamchi.

U die

मेलम्ची ँगयो’

विकास थापा

काठमाडौं, जेठ २ - एसियाली विकास बैंक -एडीबी) ले उपत्यकाको खानेपानी व्यवस्थापन करार विदेशी कम्पनीलाई दिनुपर्ने सर्त सरकारले पूरा नगरेको कारण देखाउँदै मेलम्ची खानेपानी आयोजनाबाट हात झिक्ने भएको छ ।

एडीबी मुुख्यालयले बुधबार अर्थमन्त्री डा. रामशरण महतलाई एक इमेल पठाई आगामी जून अन्त्यसम्ममा आफूले आयोजनामा सहयोग रद्द गर्ने जानकारी दिएको सरकारको उच्च स्रोतले दिएको छ ।

सबभन्दा ठूलो र नेतृत्वदायी भूमिका निर्वाह गर्दै आएको एडीबीले सहयोग रद्द गर्ने भएपछि मेलम्ची आयोजनाको भविष्य अनिश्चित हुनेछ । करिब ३४ करोड अमेरिकी डलर लागतको मेलम्चीमा एडीबीको १४ करोड डलर ऋण छ । 'सम्झनुस्, मेलम्ची गयो,' ती अधिकारीले भने ।

भौतिक योजना तथा निर्माणमन्त्री हिसिला यमीले फोन सम्पर्क गरी उपत्यकाको खानेपानी व्यवस्थापन करार बेलायती कम्पनी सेभर्न टे्रन्ट वाटर इन्टरनेसनललाई नदिने जानकारी एडीबीलाई दिएपछि यस्तो अवस्था आएको हो । सेभर्न टे्रन्टसँग व्यवस्थापन करारसम्बन्धी सम्झौता मंगलबार हुनुपर्ने थियो ।

माओवादी सरकारमा सहभागी हुनुअघिको मन्त्रिपरिषद्ले वैशाख १७ गतेसम्म सेभर्न टे्रन्टलाई व्यवस्थापन जिम्मा दिन सम्झौता गर्ने निर्णय गरेको थियो ।

माओवादी सरकारमा आएपछि भौतिक योजनामन्त्री यमीले सम्झौता अवधि जेठ १ गतेसम्म थप गरेकी थिइन् । यमीले मंगलबार उक्त कम्पनीसँग सम्झौता गर्नुको साटो एडीबीलाई सेभर्न टे्रन्टको विकल्प खोज्ने जानकारी गराएकी थिइन् ।

एडीबीका अध्यक्षले हालै जापान भ्रमणमा रहेका अर्थमन्त्री डा. रामशरण महतसँग पूर्व सहमतिअनुसार उपत्यकाको खानेपानी व्यवस्थापन करार -एमसी) हुनुपर्नेमा जोड दिएका

थिए । विभिन्न आधा दर्जन दातामध्ये एडीबी प्रमुख हो । उसले सन् २००७ सम्मका लागि मात्र ऋणको अवधि तोकेको थियो । उसको म्याद यही जूनमा सकिँदैछ ।

यमीले एडीबीले मेलम्चीबाट हात झिके केही फरक नपर्ने बताएकी छन् । एडीबी सहभागी नभए सरकारले अन्य दाता खोज्ने पनि उनले बताइन् । 'एडीबीले हात झिक्यो भने अन्त खोजौंला,' उनले बुधबार राति कान्तिपुरसित भनिन् । गठबन्धन सरकारका अन्य साझेदारले भने माओवादी मन्त्रीको हठका कारण नेपालको विकास सहायताको एक प्रमुख निकायको गम्भीर चेतावनीले आगामी दिन व्यापक असर पर्ने चिन्ता व्यक्त गरेका छन् ।

मुलुकले संकटकाल, शान्ति प्रक्रियाजस्ता जटिल र गहन मुद्दा किनारा लगाउन लागेकाले मेलम्ची आयोजना यी विषयभन्दा महत्त्वपूर्ण नभएको बताइन् । शान्ति प्रक्रिया, संकटकाल, सुरक्षा अवस्था सहज हुँदै गयो भने मेलम्ची ठूलो कुरा नहुने उनको तर्क छ ।

'शान्ति प्रक्रियाजस्तो जटिल विषय त सहज हुँदैछ,' उनको भनाइ थियो- 'देशमा पूर्ण शान्तिपछि निर्माण र पुनर्निर्माण मात्र हो ।'

आफूले मेलम्चीलाई सार्वजनिक निजी अवधारणाअन्तर्गत जनमैत्री आयोजना बनाउन खोजेको पनि यमीले दाबी गरिन् । मेलम्ची आयोजना रद्द भएमा त्यसको जिम्मेवारी माओवादीले लिन्छ/लिँदैन भन्ने जिज्ञासामा यमीले भनिन्- 'मेलम्चीलाई जनमैत्री बनाउन खोज्दाखोज्दै कसैले खलनायक बनाउन खोज्छ भने मलाई केही

भन्नु छैन ।'

छ वर्षअघि निर्माण सुरु भएको मेलम्चीमा हालसम्म चार अर्ब रुपैयाँ खर्च भइसकेको छ । सुरुङ प्रवेश मार्ग र मेलम्ची खोलाको मुहानसम्म पुग्ने सडक निर्माण कार्य करिब पूरा भइसकेको छ ।

सुरुको अनुमानित लागत करिब ४६ करोड अमेरिकी डलर रहेको मेलम्चीमा यसअघि माघ १९ को कारण देखाउँदै नर्वे र स्विडेनले हात झिकिसकेका छन् । दुवै नर्डिक देशले मेलम्चीबाट हात झिकेपछि करिब १० करोड डलर अपुग छ । त्यसपछि सरकारले मेलम्ची आयोजनालाई पुनर्संरचना गरेर करिब ३४ करोड डलर कुल लागतमा झारेको छ ।

एडीबीले सिन्धुपाल्चोकको मेलम्ची खोलादेखि काठमाडौंको सुन्दरीजलसम्मको २६ दशमलव ५ किलोमिटर सुरुङ निर्माणको ठेक्का गर्नुअघि एमसी हुनुपर्ने सर्त राखेको छ ।

सरकारले उपत्यकाको खानेपानी आपूर्ति गर्न मेलम्चीलाई पहिलो प्राथमिकतामा राखेको छ । उपत्यकामा खानेपानी माग हाल दैनिक २४ करोड लिटर छ

भने आपूर्ति करिब ९ करोड लिटर छ । मेलम्चीबाट दैनिक १७ करोड लिटर खानेपानी आपूर्ति गर्ने योजना छ ।

Posted on: 2007-05-16 18:48:51

Although I am vehement anti Maoist, and very pro Melamchi, I think it is not right for us to accuse her rightnow. I think it shows typical arrogance of ADB and overall foreigners when it comes to our poor country.

I mean what is so wrong if our minister wants to look at the matter once? For god's sake, we have been tricked by American companies in Bhotekoshi/Khimti(Loss alone in these electric purchase last year was almost 2 billion rupees), and Germans in Madhyamarsyangdi. She is educated, and she is definitely not looking forward to destroy our water project. We need water but what if tomorrow we have to foot very high price for it?

These foreigners are looking forward to humiliate us. We must stop enjoying when foreigners humiliate our ministers. I don't like the Maoists outside the govt, but when she is in our govt, she deserves some respect. She wanted some time to look at the report, and she deserves extra time. If ADB doesn't want to finance , that's fine. The whole Nepal is drinking contaminated water, be it Terai or mountain, let the rich people of KTM drink it some more time. Eventually, we will find other sources of funding.

Most importantly, we must remember this humiliation, these foreign extraction, and let our kids work hard, study hard, and let us tell the Maoists mofos that it is not good to close our schools, because this ensures that we have stupid people for next decades. We will never be able to proudly initiate any project on our own. For god's sake, these terrorists should stop closing schools. It will humiliate them, and it will humiliate all nepali government in the future. Let Marshyangdi be the lesson for all of us to learn.

Although I am vehement anti Maoist, and very pro Melamchi, I think it is not right for us to accuse her rightnow. I think it shows typical arrogance of ADB and overall foreigners when it comes to our poor country.

I mean what is so wrong if our minister wants to look at the matter once? For god's sake, we have been tricked by American companies in Bhotekoshi/Khimti(Loss alone in these electric purchase last year was almost 2 billion rupees), and Germans in Madhyamarsyangdi. She is educated, and she is definitely not looking forward to destroy our water project. We need water but what if tomorrow we have to foot very high price for it?

These foreigners are looking forward to humiliate us. We must stop enjoying when foreigners humiliate our ministers. I don't like the Maoists outside the govt, but when she is in our govt, she deserves some respect. She wanted some time to look at the report, and she deserves extra time. If ADB doesn't want to finance , that's fine. The whole Nepal is drinking contaminated water, be it Terai or mountain, let the rich people of KTM drink it some more time. Eventually, we will find other sources of funding.

Most importantly, we must remember this humiliation, these foreign extraction, and let our kids work hard, study hard, and let us tell the Maoists mofos that it is not good to close our schools, because this ensures that we have stupid people for next decades. We will never be able to proudly initiate any project on our own. For god's sake, these terrorists should stop closing schools. It will humiliate them, and it will humiliate all nepali government in the future. Let Marshyangdi be the lesson for all of us to learn.

corruption ..only corruption...we Nepali people only know narajulus ..not do to development...

Hisila Yami says two things:

First, she is "concerned about (the background of) the contractor."

Fine.

Let's unpack this further.

The contractor did something wrong in country X; it paid
big fines and saw its reputation dip for some time, and now, presumably wiser and more careful, it is moving on.

This is how it is in business.
You make mistakes.

You pay for your mistakes.
If you can still stand, then, you try to build from what you have.

What's the big deal?

You can't go on punishing the contractor for one aspect of its past for which it has already paid a price elsewhere.

How much juice is Yami going to squeeze out of ST's past?

By Yami's and some of these Nepali journalists' thinking, even Morgan Stanley would be considered a shady business -- a partner not worth doing business with!!


- http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/storage/story/0,10801,108687,00.html


***************

Yami then says:

"And secondly, I have reservations about privatization. These things can be done through public-private partnership."


Ah!

Then her conclusion shows two things: that she is driven more by ideology and ignorance.

How?

Ideology, because she's a knee-jerk opponent of 'privatization'/capitalism and all the words that Maoists like her are brought to consider evil!

I can't argue against her beliefs -- because beliefs are beliefs.

But her ignorance is shocking.

Because, what the hell . . . no one is talking about privatizing ANYTHING here. Where did she get this idea?

She does not even seem familar with what she's getting into here, and I find this inexcusable.

The essence is basically this (bear with me, if you will):

1. There's no point getting water from Melamchi if you
have leaky pipes in Kathmandu.

2. So: FIRST you need to plug those leaky pipes, put in new pipes, invest in technology and find efficient
distribution points for Kathmandu water. Fair enough, right?

3. The present structure we have in place for water distribution in KTM is jhoor and khattam. The present employment structure at Khanay Pani makes everyone jageer-dars and party-politics people, and Khanay Pani is overstaffed to the point that it is mired in its internal politics and makes zero investment in key areas re: water distribution. So we are stuck with an office tasked to distrbuite water, when in reality it cannot and does not.
Is this what we want?

4. Solution? OFFER a time-bound performance-oriented management contract to a private party who will run this water body so that it faces new incentives to make money in such a way it actually has to deliver water to rich and poor people at various prices . . . something the Khanay Paani -- staffed by purebred Nepalis -- neglected to do
in the last 50 years!

5. Now, in all that, where is the dreaded word 'privatization'? The Nepalis will continue to OWN
the assets of the Khanay Pani Corporation -- and Nepalis will review the performance of the private party to see
how it does. If anything, Nepalis have the power to kick out the contractor if it does something wrong.

6. Sure, there ARE risks in doing this. But which business comes to you risk-free? Besides, what's the alternative? Is Yami going to deliver water door to door in Katmandu?

7/ The public-private partnership is a heartwarming concept. But its successful requires so much of trust and understanding and institutional strengths that building them up alone takes many years. Besides, it's hypocritical for a Maoist whose cadres destroyed so much of community forests and private businesses across Nepal to NOW be getting all high-and-mighty about public-private partnership.

8. Finally, I am happy with Yami's dxecision. A decision like this coupled with Prachanda's hard-to-believe utterings and Maoists' MPs beating up others and carrying firearms to the parliament do wonders for most Nepais to NOT take this party seriously when the REAL elections take place.


oohi
ashu

राम्रो बिश्लेषण गर्नु भयो। मेलाम्चि तुहाउने चाहने जमातको भित्री उद्देश्य एकै हुनु पर्दछ। ज्ञानेन्द्र देखि लिएर हिसिला यमि सम्मको। यहा निर् राजनैतिक टिप्पणी गर्न चाहन्न। तर तपाईकै माथि लेखिएका कुरामा केहि थप्न चाहन्छु। यस्लाई अन्यथा न लिनु होला। मेलम्चि मै करीब ३ बर्ष जति जागिरे भाको ब्यक्तिको हैसियतमा आफुमा भएको जानकारि राख्न गैराख्या छु।
***********************************************************************
There's no point getting water from Melamchi if you
have leaky pipes in Kathmandu.
So: FIRST you need to plug those leaky pipes, put in new pipes, invest in technology and find efficient
distribution points for Kathmandu water. Fair enough, right?
-Ashu
***********************************************************************

मेलम्चि आयोजनाका मुख्य ५ ओटा खण्ड् हरु छन्। जस्तो
१-Melamchi Diversion Scheme प्रबेश मार्ग, बाँध, टनेल को काम्
२- Treatment Plant
३- Bulk Disrtibution Scheme -प्रशोधित पानीलाई उपत्यकाको चारै तिर् अग्ला भाग मा बनाइने पानी ट्यांकिहरु सम्म पुर्‍याउने।
४- Distribution Network- उपत्यकाको ९० प्रतिशत भन्दा बढि पानी बितराण पाइपलाइन हरुर् संरचना र पुन: निर्माण गरिने।
५- Waste water treatment and management
यस् उस्ले, अहिलेकै बीर् शम्शेर पालाको खण्डहर् नेट्वर्क र चुहावट मेलम्चिआयोजना कै अंग भएको ले, यो बिषयमा टाउको दुखाउनु न पर्ने हो।
जहाँ सम्म निजी कम्पनिलाई संचालन पो गर्न दिन लागेको हो, बेच्ने त होइन नि? पानी दिन सके नाफा खाएर जान्छ, दिन न सके भाग्छ। फेरि जथाभाबी भाउ बढाउला भनेर अनेक् संयन्त्र बनाएका छन्। काम चोर् कर्मचारि बाहेक् अरुको समर्थन नै देखिन्छ यसमा। त्यहि हो निजी कम्पनीमा कर्मचारिहरि हाजिर् गरेर हसिया हठौडा को झन्डा बोक्न सक्दैनन्। जुलुस र हुलुस मा जान सक्दैनन्। हाम्रो मन्त्री जी को आपत्ती पनि त्यसैमा हो कि?

I could not understand why the heck technocrats never thought of a viable alternative like rainwater harvesting. If a city of the size of Madras can survive out of rainwater, why cant Kathmandu. We should not forget that average annual precipitation in Kathmandu is much higher than arid Madras. I was just curious Rahul Sir.

I think the core issue is: then why not privatize as well? Not only the water supply, but the whole nation? If we cannot manage the water supply, the very thing Malla era has mastered , what are we good at? The impact of allowing foreigners to manage the very water we drink is far greater than Mr. Ashu has ever foreseen (the foreign manager could kill the whole valley overnight and get away with it). The question would then be: why would a foreigner want to kill all valley resident, etc? They sure won't want to kill but would rather let us know all the time that they could. The confrontation between Iran and USA lies in the very fact that the USA thinks Iran would use its nuclear tech to blackmail the world. The same would/could come true here.

This is a totally different aspect how to revamp the Water Supply staff.

Let us spend more time on it while the government is in transition. I know we will suffer more. The f ucking people from top to bottom want to make money here at the price of national security. Yes, Mr. Ashu, it is a matter of national life sustenance, not just the sustenance of a few freaking newspapers and magazines. So let the cabinet and the officials have more time. The ADB is not the end of the world here.

I don't believe any conspiracy theories behind the fall out of melamchi. True, both the King and Maoists' role has brought set backs in this highly prioritized project.

It is indeed frustrating to witness an educated minister who is specialized in the same field has failed to keep working with donor agency. Yami is familiar with the scope and limitation of the contract type and the difference between the privatization in capitalist system and time-bound performance-oriented management contract. I believe lending the management contract with sufficient if-then clause should not bother her idealogy against privatization as it is not a complete sell-out project. She knows how such a system works and where is the voids. Had her effort focussed on identifying such voids and assuring public benefit rather than neglecting until the total failure of the project, she would have been in different position. Now it is clear she could not comprehend and compromise with the issues despite getting hints before failure, early warnings for pullout and enough time to tackle the issue.

Now, I am thinking whether this Hisila Yami riding over the ministerial post is the same Hisila Yami who used to wear sandles, ride bicycle to commute, carry a simple black bag, speak with soft and gentle voice, present convincing arguments and be always on time to fulfill her duty. I suspect she might have dropped her excellent knowledge and skills back into the jungle while she put camoflaged dresses on, carried M16s to kill innocents, led their war keeping herself a decade long darkness. She is not updated with her academic stuffs, she is not exposed with the evolution of systems, and in overall she is not the same Yami that we are thinking of. She was underground for a long time, spending her precious time among the people educated far less than herself, among the people having no supply of any basic needs, among the people fearing of death all the time and suddenly she overgrounded to escale high up to ministerial post with tonnes of things around, all state-sponsored securities, praisals and what not. Science has shown that such a drastic change in human life within short time would bring psychological disorder that you can see among many of lottery winners, artists, political leaders and beneficiaries of millionairs.

I wonder if she has developed a psychological disorder aftermath of such a hard life in jungle, which could make her useless for any public position despite garlanded with tonnes of certificates some decades ago. I have seen many war-veterans, who are physically fit but mentally disordered, who can talk very excellent but can't work any good, who has a lot of experience, trainings, certificates and rewards but are not capable of putting right judgement at right time. That is a disease, could be curable or not, but could be fatal if the war-veterans with such a disease is in service. So, they get early retirement and spend time somewhere else rather than in active service. If we don't know the similar desease is with Yami too, then her performance would definitely deteriorate to the level of palten gurung or nanimaiya dahal.

At the same time, I also think we should watch out how ADB is acting on this issue. We know donor agency's role are not always fair. They tend to play catalytic role in raising up and bashing down certain political groups and system turing themselve as the proxy of foreign interest groups. That's why WB, ADB or IMF like institutions are not welcomed everywhere. If that is the case here, Hisila Yami deserves support from us for her standings despite that will bring hard time to Kathmanduites.

There are other factors at play.

For instance,

Take away petrol from Kathmandu, or jack up its per unit price, and see riots erupting and tires burning on
streets almost immediately.

Why?

Because people are used to buying and paying for petrol
to go about their daily activities.

Petrol's prices in Kathmandu are dependent on international prices and NOT on what aaa-poorti mantri says.

But the same emotions, alas, CANNOT be stiired for water.
Not yet anyway.

Why?

Because people are NOT used to buying and paying for piped
water reliably and regularly in Nepal.

Yes, water is nature's gift. But as my dear friend Narayan Manandhar has written someplace, nature did not give us pipes and taps as gifts too! Hence we need to find ways
to pay for those.

Since people don't have piped water in the first place, they are not going to miss it much when a potential to deliver such water is taken away from them . . . as
Yami is likely to do.

You can't miss what you don't have in the first place!
Hence, we won't see water riots in Kathmandu over
Yami's decision.

The present Khanay Paani Sanshthan with its four different labour unions (aligned respectively with Congressi/Marxist/Maoist and RPP beechaar) simply does not have the motivation to clean up its act to focus on one core activity: Deliver water reliably and regularly to all who pay for it.

That's the way it's been for the last 50 --n yes F-I-F-T-Y years. Only a fool believes that Khanay Paani Sansthaan
is going to change anytime soon with the way it is.

Sure, getting the foreign contrator is NOT an ideal/perfect solution.

But considering the alternatives (continued mismanagement by sarkari bureaucrats and party-political hacks with ZERO accountability to anyone), it's a good-enough solution with enough safeguards and with many eyes watching it to see how it works.

Having tried one system for the last fifty years and getting all the more dry, we are thirsty for a change.

oohi
ashu

काले क्रिष्ण जी,
मेलम्चि कुनै ब्यक्ति वा संस्थाको रहर् र लहड् मा उभ्रेको आयोजना होइन। उपत्यकाको पानीको माग र भबिष्यको मागको आपुर्ति गर्न सक्ने अनेक संभावनाहरु अध्ययन भएकाछन्। तपाईले भने जस्तो बर्षात को पानि पनि एक बिकल्प हो, त्यसको पनि अध्ययन भएको छ। नेपाल सरकारका खाने पानी क्षेत्रमा काम गर्ने प्राबिधिकहरु सक्षम छन्। बिभिन्न जिल्लाको दुर्गम क्षेत्रहरुमा बर्षातको पानी जम्मा गरेर खानेपानी आपूर्ति गरि राख्या छन्। सरकारि निकाय भएकोले बिज्ञापन गर्दैनन्र धेरैलाई जानकारि न हुन पनि सक्छ। बर्षात को पानीले काठमाडौको मागको केहि अंश पनि धान्न सक्दैन र त्यो अंश पनि संकलन गर्न चाहिने पूर्बाधार बनाउने भौगोलिक अबस्था छैन अहिले। खाली जमीन र सिम्सार् क्षेत्रको नामो निशान छैन। उपत्यका अहिले कंक्रिट् को जङल भै सकेको छ। मित्र, नेपाली प्राबिधिकको क्षमतालाइ शंका नगर्नुस्, तपाईको सोचलाई पनि सोचेका थिए बुज्रुक इन्जिनियरहरुले , अन्य नयाँ बिकल्प पनि सोच्ने र खोज्ने छन्।
कसैले बिना आधार बर्षातको पानी नै पर्याप्त छ भन्छन भने या त उस्मा अर्ध ज्ञान मात्र छ या त उ प्रचार प्रशार मात्र चाहन्छ। कठमाडौका पूर्ब मेयर केशब स्थापितले गरेको हावादारि कुरा सम्झिन्छु। काठमाडौ मा बनाउने हेरक् घरले बर्षातको पानी जम्मा गर्ने ठाउँ बनाउने रे अनि पानीको समस्या समाधान् हुन्छ रे। संभव छ, २ आना ३ आना मा घर बन्ने शहरमा पानीपोखरि बनाउने? भन्न पायो भने बोल्न पायो भने जे पायो त्यहि त बोल्नु भएन नि , होइन र?
Little Knowledge is danagerous भनेको यहि हो। स्थापित जी पनि ओभरसियर पढ्दा पढ्दै बिचमा छोड्नु भएको ब्यक्ति रैछ, पढाइ पूरा गरेको भए थाह हुन्थ्यो, संभव छ कि छैन भनेर।

CT wrote:

"At the same time, I also think we should watch out how ADB is acting on this issue."

Sure.
But here's a different logic to think this through.

Assumption: Money has to be found in and by Nepal to pay for projects. The government simply does NOT have the cash to carry out such work.

There are, broadly speaking, three sources of funds: Domestic money, international private money and
development banks.

Let's look at these:

1) There is not enough domestic money available for this project. If there were, locals banks would have financed
it, and we would not need other parties with their money.

2) Nepal is NOT -- to put it bluntly -- trusted much by international private investors. In any case, those guys can find other locations around the world (i.e. Vietnam, India, etc) where they can earn more returns. So, the chances of getting international private money for big projects in Nepal are low to nil.

3) This leaves only one option: bilateral or multilateral funding from development banks.

Our saying, "we do NOT need foreign money to build anything in Nepal = we will NOT build anything." And that's not going to be in the interest of most poor people.

Sure, I am all for monitoring the ADBs of the world: but you cannot monitor them if you throw them out in the first place!

oohi
ashu

Chana Tarkari,
Good analysis of mental problems of people coming from jungle to civilization, but in this case Hisila does not seem to fit to be in such a position to make decisions that affects millions of Nepalis negatively.