When the Maoists joined the government the first time last year, Minister of Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami overturned the decision of the previous government to give the Kathmandu Valley water management contract to Severn Trent. The fact that she was being swayed by anti-Severn Trent activists and NGOs is proven by the fact that she appointed them to decision-making positions. Severn Trent left, but what did we get? A project that would have been finished in 2011 will now take till 2013.

The Maoists have returned to government, and there is now a proposal to turn Melamchi into a multi-purpose regional project and not just a capital-centric scheme. Such new-fangled ideas inexplicably emerge whenever the Maoists come into the government. It is not a coincidence that the expanded Melamchi idea is in the parliamentary committee just before the Maoists returned to government at the behest of some persons and groups.

The 'new Melamchi' is supposed to generate 235MW of power and irrigate 30,000 hectares of tarai farms. Its proponents claim that the only additional cost will be the widening of the 26km tunnel to bring water from the Balephi through another tunnel. The argument is that the power generation aspect will attract foreign investors who will then also be co-investors in Melamchi. Although the supporters of the expanded Melamchi say the NEA is "desperate for electricity", the reality is that the authority is scared to sign any power purchase agreement because a power component to Melamchi was declared unfeasible by engineers back in 1995.

The timing of the new proposal comes as the ADB is deciding on the Melamchi loan for the tunnel contract this month. Is the expanded Melamchi being pushed by a foreign contractor? Experts say it will take three to four years just to study the new proposal, and if the Maoists decide on the multi-purpose Melamchi, the project will never be built. In other words, this could be a trick to actually abort Melamchi.

Some people may benefit from Kathmandu's continued water shortage, but in the long term Melamchi will remain a mirage for Kathmandu's thirsty citizens.