The Sikta Irrigation Project, which aims to provide irrigation facilities to 42,766 hectares of land in Kohalpur municipality and Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city of Banke district has completed 92% progress, as per reports.

Engineer Sandesh Poudel of the Sikta Irrigation Project shared that out of the over Rs 830 million allocated for capital expenditure this fiscal year, over Rs 760 million has been spent as of December 2023.

Key activities completed include the management of contracts for the remaining works of the eastern main canal and the Goha section of the canal, as well as land acquisition for canal construction at Prasenipur towards the western main canal, the Guruwagaun section canal, and other various sections.

Looking ahead to the next fiscal year 2024/25, the budget ceiling for the Sikta Irrigation Project has been increased. Over Rs 1.6 billion has been allocated for the upcoming fiscal year, an increase from the over Rs 1.3 billion allocated for the current year.

Currently, works on the Daduwa section canal are underway. Initiated in the fiscal year 2005/06, the project is expected to be completed by the fiscal year 2032/33 according to the revised master plan. The total cost of the project as per the revised master plan is over Rs 52 billion.

Despite the significant progress, the project faces challenges, including inadequate budget allocation from the government and issues in distributing compensation to those whose land was acquired for the project.