NEW SPOTLIGHT | Feb 26. 2021 | 1 NEW SPOTLIGHT | Feb 26. 2021 | 2 SPOTLIGHTFORTNIGHTLY Notes From The Editor Vol.: 14, No.-13, February-26, 2021 (Falgun 14. 2077) Price NRs.100 With work delayed by almost seven months, Melamchi Water Development Board has started testing and com- Editor and Publisher Keshab Poudel missioning of 27.5 kilometer long Melamchi Tunnel. Fol- lowing the damage of one of the gates in July last year, Contributor the process of commissioning and testing was suspended. Sabine Pretsch With inspection from experts and correction in the gate valve and improvement in tunnel, Melamchi Water Devel- Design/Layout opment Board has started diversion of the water. Although Sahil Mokthan, 9863022025 it took almost two and half decades for the tunnel to reach the present state, this is one of the miracles in infrastruc- Marketing Manager Madan Raj Poudel ture development projects in Nepal. Constructed to supply Tel: 9841320517 water to over 4 million population of Kathmandu Valley, Melamchi Drinking Water Project passed through sever- Nabin Kumar Maharjan al crises, one after another. Constructed under loan from Tel: 9841291404 an Asian Development Bank-led consortium, Melamchi project will supply over 370 million liter water per day Editorial Office to Kathmandu Valley. Under the leadership of Secretary Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 977-1-4430250 Madhav Belbase and his strong team in the ministry, Mel- amchi is likely to pass this phase of testing and commis- E-mail sioning and start the supply of water to thirsty population [email protected] of Kathmandu Valley. We have decided to report on the P.O.Box: 7256 commissioning and testing of Melamchi project as a cover story for this issue. Since the establishment of diplomatic Website relations over 60 years ago, Japan has been providing Ne- www.spotlightnepal.com pal with all kinds of support to develop infrastructure such Kathmandu DAO Regd. No. as road, hydropower, drinking water and helped institution 148/11/063/64 building process. As Japan celebrates its national day, we Central Region Postal Regd. have decided to cover extensively the views from various No. 36/067/068 scholars from Japan on Nepal Japan relations and other regional and global issues. US Library of Congress Catalogue No. 91-905060, ISSN : 2091-0711 (Print), ISSN: 2091-0754 (Online) Printing Megha Offset Printing Press P. Ltd., Dhapasi, Kathmandu Keshab Poudel Tel. : 977-1-4363624 Editor NEW SPOTLIGHT | Feb 26. 2021 | 1 CONTENT NEPAL ARMY Operation Clean Mountain 3 NEWSNOTES 4 BUSINESS BRIEF 6 OPINION COVERSTORY: MELAMCHI: Bhagirath Prayas 22 Dr. Omkar Shrestha 8 REINSTAMENT OF HOUSE Coalition Politics 10 INTERVIEW Akira Nakamura 14 INTERVIEW MRS. HITOMI SATO 16 NEPAL-JAPAN All-Weather Friends 18 HITENDRA DEV SHAKYA: Strengthening NEA 30 INTERVIEW Professor Satoru Nishikawa 20 ARTICLE Prateek Paudel 29 VIEWPOINT Smita Gyawali and Rajan Acharya 32 ARITICLE Hemang Dixit 36 COVIDSHIELD VACCINE TO NEPAL: Indian Generosity 34 NEW SPOTLIGHT | Feb 26. 2021 | 2 NEPAL ARMY Operation Clean Mountain Nepali Army is getting ready to clean the filth from six mountain peaks this year By A CORRESPONDENT long with its major role to tons of garbage from the peaks, with climbers from the army as well as safeguarding the country, Ne- around 18 tons of garbage from the Sherpa and other supporting guides. Apal Army has been conduct- areas above the base camps. For the cleaning campaign, ing several other activities to protect The Ministry of Forest and the expedition team members are and preserve the country’s heritage Environment; Department of Nation- taking training in Jomsom. NA has and natural sites. al Park and Wildlife Conservation, estimated around Rs 125 million Following the assumption of Nepal Tourism Board; Pasang Lhamu would be needed for the campaign, of office of Chief of Army Staff (CoAS), Rural Municipality; Thasang Rural which, the Ministry of Forest and En- COAS General Purna Chandra Thapa Municipality; Makalu Barun Rural vironment will spend Rs 100 million, has announced that Nepal Army will Municipality; Nepal Mountaineering while the remaining expenses will be also get involved in the cleaning of Association; Himalayan Rescue As- borne by NA itself. the mountain peaks and base camps sociation; and Sagarmatha Pollution The army has stated that all over the country. Control Committee will be joining joint collaboration with various agen- In the last two years, Nepal NA on this peak-cleaning campaign. cies is necessary to ensure that the Army has already brought a large According to NA, the campaign will mountains are not littered instead of volume of garbage from Everest Base begin from April 13 by handing over conducting frequent cleaning cam- Camp and other peaks. This year Ne- the campaign flag to the climbing and paigns. The mountain clean-up cam- pal Army has decided to launch this cleaning team. And the campaign will paign was launched in 2019. Due to campaign in six different peaks. end on the World Environment Day the COVID-19 pandemic; NA could With the COVID-19 pan- on June 5. not conduct a cleaning campaign last demic affecting the world, the num- The NA has stated that year. ber of climbers in this season will the non-perishable garbage will be Announcing the campaign likely be much smaller. Given such brought to the capital by helicopter to clean the mountain, Nepal Army circumstances, it is a good time to and land transport. It will then be has shown that it cares for the nature take a mission to clean the mountain handed over to a recycling plant. The and conservation of Nepal’s valuable peaks. cleaning climbing team includes 43 asset. According to an estimate, many of Nepal’s mountain peaks have seen filth and waste growing as a leftover of mountaineers. Nepal Army’s move to start a cleanup campaign is a mile- stone against that backdrop. Two years back, NA had cleaned Mt Everest. As per NA, it is preparing to clean Mt Everest, Mt Lhotse, Mt Pumori, Mt Ama Dablam, Mt Makalu and Mt Dhaula- giri. The NA has targeted to clean the base camps and the areas above it of these six peaks. The NA has stated that it will collect at least 35 NEW SPOTLIGHT | Feb 26. 2021 | 3 NEWSNOTES COP26 President Calls Upon PM Oli Japan Provides Assistance For Rehabilitating School Building Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has received a Japanese Assistance Tar- delegation of the Gov- gets Rehabilitating School and ernment of the United Building School Resilience to Kingdom led by Alok Disaster in Sindhupalchowk, Ne- Sharma MP, the Pres- pal Phase II, 2nd Year. ident-Designate for The Government of the 26th UN Climate Japan has extended US dollars Change Conference 641,800 (about NRs. 74.4 mil- (COP26), at the Prime lion), to Child Fund Japan under Minister’s Official Res- the Grant Assistance for Japanese idence. NGO Projects Schemes. Views on Ne- Child Fund Japan, an international NGO based in pal-UK relations, collaborations on climate action and co- Japan, will work with a Nepali partner NGO, TUKI Asso- operation in energy sector, among others, were exchanged ciation Sunkoshi (TUKI) and Gramin Mahila Srijansil Pa- on the occasion. COP26 President Sharma briefed the riwar (GMSP), to implement the rehabilitation of a school Prime Minister about the priorities and plan in the lead up and provide disaster prevention training in Sindhupalcho- to the COP26 to be held in Glasgow in November 2021. wk District. Prime Minister Oli expressed satisfaction over the A grant contract for this project was signed and increasing level of engagements with the UK on the matters exchanged on 17thFebruary, 2021 by Saigo Masamichi, of common interest, both at bilateral and multilateral levels. Ambassador of Japan to Nepal and Takita Hiroyuki, Project He assured Nepal’s full support to the successful holding of Manager, Child Fund Japan Nepal Office. the COP26. He conveyed his best wishes for all success of This project is to foster and strengthen the capac- the conference. ity of public schools in Sindhupalchowk District in safe- The COP26 President was to pay a courtesy call guarding children from natural disasters. on the President the following day. This project is now in its second year. It plans to Sharma also has paid courtesy call to foreign min- rebuild a school in Raktakali, which was built with assis- ister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali and discussed burning is- tance from JICA in 1990. It also aims to conduct disaster sues of climate change, green recovery, renewable energy, prevention training, make School Safety Plans, provide mountain ecosystem, etc. Views were exchanged on mak- disaster prevention education seminar to teachers, have ing the upcoming #COP26 a great success. earthquake drills at schools, etc. Direct beneficiaries from this project are expected to number 328 people and indi- JICA Launches Hydropower Technical Cooperation Project rect beneficiaries will be approximately 4,500 people in the JICA has launched a new Technical Cooperation district. Project in Hydropower Sec- tor for sustainable devel- Japanese Ambassador To Nepal Pays Farewell Visit To opment of energy sector in PM Oli Nepal Outgoing Japanese The new Technical Ambassador to Nepal, Masam- Cooperation Project, “The ichi Saigo, has paid a farewell project for the Integrated visit to Prime Minister KP Shar- Power System Develop- ma Oli at his Baluwatar-based ment Plan of Nepal” was official residence. agreed between the Japan Ambassador Saigo is International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry all set to return to Japan follow- of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. The project will ing the completion of his tenure contribute to the achievement of SDGs 7 “Ensure access to that stretched for two years and affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”.