By Shiva Raj Dhungana
Mangalsen, Apr. 10: Compensation has been fixed for the victims of the Karnali Semi-reservoir Hydropower Project, which is being constructed on the Karnali River between Achham and Surkhet districts.
The lands of the residents of Dhakari and Turmakhand of Achham affected by the project will be compensated by classifying them into two groups.
The compensation amount is determined by the recommendation committee chaired by the Chief District Officer dividing cultivated and non-cultivated land.

The land in the A, B and C categories of cultivable land will get Rs. 730,904 per ropani. Similarly, cultivable land in the D and E categories will get compensation of Rs. 546,332 per ropani, said Accham Chief District Officer Bishwo Raj Marasini.
Compensation has been fixed by increasing the amount by 15 per cent from the previous one which was decided in July.

According to Nara Bahadur Budha, Ward Chairman of Dhakari Rural Municipality-6, Dhungachalna, the compensation for the Karnali project has been completed. “Compensation dispute lingered for two years, but now we have taken decision,” Budha said.

Project Chief Upendra Neupane said that the compensation office for the Achham section has been established and the process of distributing the amount will start as soon as Surkhet is settled. “We are preparing to distribute compensation soon,” he said.
Preparations for DPR, digging of tunnels, the access road from Achham section, camp house and other works have been completed, Neupane said.

According to Budha, the physical and economic condition of the area will change with the speed of the project along with the determination of compensation. The committee has removed the acquisition of additional land required for the project and some land compensation is not required.
It is said that the work of the project has been stalled due to delays in compensation for the last three years.

Out of the 2,500 ropanis of land required in Betan Karnali Hydropower Project, it is said that 1,844 more ropanis will fall in Turmakhand and Dhakari of Achham.
Residents of Dhakari Rural Municipality-6 of Achham, Turmakhand Rural Municipality-3, 4 and 5 Nada will be directly affected by the project. Similarly, residents of Chowkune Rural Municipality-6 and 7 wards and Panchpuri Municipality of Surkhet district will be directly affected.

The powerhouse, base camp house and head tunnel of the 439 MW semi-hydro project to be constructed by Betan Karnali Savings Hydropower Company Limited will be constructed in Dhakari Rural Municipality-6 of Achham.
The diversion tunnel of the same project will be in Chowkune Rural Municipality-6 of Surkhet and the dam site within the boundary of both rural municipalities. The project, estimated to cost Rs. 74.15 billion, is targeted to be completed within five years.

For the project, water will be supplied to the underground powerhouse through the tunnel by constructing a 140-m-high dam on the Karnali River.
It is said that 12.5 million cubic metres of water can be stored in its reservoir. The accumulated water will be discharged into the turbine through a 6.6-km-long headrace tunnel and a 345-m-long penstock pipe.

The water is then planned to flow out of a 100-metre-long tailrace tunnel. The powerhouse will have three turbines and will generate 2,299 gigawatts per hour of electricity annually.