Melamchi is a municipality in Sindhupalchok District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the census it had a population of 3936 and had 710 houses in the village. Government of Nepal has initiated a drinking water project called Melamchi water supply project to Kathmandu Valley. An over View of Melamchi Valley The Melamchi Valley is typically narrow, steep Himalayan River-Valley. The lower valley slopes are very steep, rocky and V shaped in the High Mountain whereas in the Middle the valley slopes are dissected by rolling alluvial tars at the bottom. The middle mountain slopes, have gentler aspect and are the sites of settlements. The upper mountain slopes are very steep, rocky and with pointed ridgeline. On the contrary, upper hill slopes of middle part are also often rounded and smooth and are exploited for mountain agriculture and settlement. Elevation differences between the valley floor and surrounding ridges exceed over 1,000 m in the upper part. Tourism sector is very significant to Melamchi area considering its diverse tradition and culture. The number of people directly benefited by tourism is not unknown. However, it is obvious that many people are benefited directly or indirectly by tourism. Places like Helambu, Nakote, Melamchi Ghyang , Tarke Ghyang and Hibung are most attractive places for tourism. According to Nepal Tourism Board, in average, 7,600 to 9,600 trekking permits are issued to the tourists who visit upstream areas of the Melamchi and to the Langtang National Park.
The objective of implementation of MSWP is to divert 170 MLD of water from Melamchi River through 25.83 km long tunnel, to the reservoir to be constructed at Mahankal, Sundarijal, where the water will be stored, and treated through the establishment of Water Treatment Plant. MWSP is located mostly in the Melamchi valley. The project’s
zone of impact in Melamchi Valley includes 14 VDCs out of 79 VDCs of Sindhupalchowk district. 11 VDCs are directly affected and 3 are taken as indirectly affected VDCs. It is predicted that the project will have significant effect on the
Environmental and socio-economic aspects of the Melamchi valley.