Chitwan, July 13: Local farmers who were unable to cultivate paddy in a timely manner due to a long spell of drought this year are facing a double whammy as they did not receive water from the Narayani Irrigation Project for paddy plantation.

While speaking at the incident site, project engineer Kulraj Chalise informed that the ongoing installation of a new motor in the lift was causing the delay in water discharge. He further shared, “We are currently installing four new motors as a replacement for the dysfunctional old pump motor. This additional installation work will require extra time to complete. Most probably, the installation will be finished by mid-July, and we are planning to release water immediately after the motor installation.”

Chalise revealed that an Indian company has been contracted for the installation of the machines at a cost of Rs 260 million. He stated, “We have expedited the work to ensure water release for farmers in the third week of July.”

With the re-operation of the Narayani Lift Project, irrigation facilities will benefit farmers from various areas, including Narayanpur, Kailashnagar, Parasnagar, Fulbari, Shivanagar, Geetanagar, and Parbatipur.

The Narayani Lift Project, which has been operational since 2040 BS, provides irrigation services to 4,700 hectares of land. As many as 25,000 households have benefited from the project’s irrigation facilities each year. However, this time, farmers have been severely affected by the delayed water supply from the project for irrigation.