The submission of the Terms and Reference (ToR) related to construction of Sunkoshi III hydropower project has reached the final phase. Two consultant companies are due to submit their ToR reports to the Department of Electricity Development within a week.

Department’s engineer Subash Thapaliya shared that one Nepali company and another Chinese will submit their reports which will include modality on compensation to be distributed to those affected in the process of construction of the proposed 536-megawatt hydro power project.

The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation and Ministry of Forests and Environment had jointly forwarded the process for determining the scope for the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) in the mid of October last year.

During the process, suggestions were solicited from the officials of the local units, schools, hospitals, health posts and stakeholders to be affected by the proposed hydro power project.

The Sunkoshi Hydro Power Project III can affect as many as 1,600 families in Kavrepalanchowk, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechhap and Sindhuli districts, said engineer Thapaliya.

A proposal has been made to build a dam in place bordering between Temal rural municipality-9 in Kavrepalanchwok district and Lubhughar of Khandadevi Rural Municipality-1 in Ramechhap. The Sunkoshi River flows through Kavrepalanchwok, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechhap and Sindhuli districts.