Minister Kulman Ghising has called for advancing the 225 MW Saptagandaki multipurpose hydropower project to address riverbank erosion and promote development in Chitwan and Nawalparasi. Speaking at a program organized by the Chitwan Chamber of Commerce in Narayanghat, he stressed the need to protect the religious site of Devghat while utilizing upstream reservoirs such as Budhigandaki and Tanahun for flood control, irrigation and inland water transport. First studied in 1985 with Japan’s JICA support, the project could irrigate large tracts of farmland while limiting submergence around Devghat.
