Nyadi hydro project stalled as Chinese fail to join work

Image for reference.

Rising Nepal
11 Feb, 2020

By Our Correspondent, Lamjung, Feb. 11: Coronavirus outbreak in neighbouring China has affected the work on the Nyadi Hydropower Project in Lamjung.

According to the project, work has stopped because the Chinese supervisor, engineer and other technicians have not been able to leave their country. “They went home to celebrate the Chinese New Year, but were then stuck there because of the Chinese government’s decision to ban its citizens from leaving the country,” informed Basudev Gadtaula, administrative officer of the project.

According to Gadtaula, there are 61 Chinese nationals working in the project, out of which, 57 had gone to China and only two managed to return. “With 55 of our workers stuck in China, work on the project has stopped for now,” he said.

The project, being constructed on the Nyadi River, has been stalled for about a month. “The project is led by the Chinese and in their absence, even the Nepali workers can’t work,” stated Bijay Gurung, the project’s public relations officer.

The 30 MW project is being constructed by the China-based Zhejiang Hydropower Construction and Installation Company Limited.