BAGMATI: A total of 101 small irrigation schemes aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity have been successfully completed in various parts of Makawanpur.

According to the Bagmati Province Water Resource and Irrigation Division Office, these 101 schemes were finished by mid-February, out of a targeted 191 schemes for the current fiscal year.

The completion of these projects involved an expenditure of Rs 178.9 million, out of a total budget allocation of Rs 380.09 million.

Among the completed schemes, four were related to river control, 80 were focused on irrigation, one was for medium irrigation, and 15 others were miscellaneous projects.

Nirmal Dahal, the Office Chief, revealed that various infrastructure components such as wells, culverts, irrigation sources, bridges, nets, mesh dams, and irrigation canals with pipes totaling 6,450 meters were constructed during this fiscal year.

As a result of these efforts, irrigation facilities have been extended to 500 hectares of land through repairs to existing canal structures and an additional 200 hectares through new irrigation schemes.

However, despite Makawanpur having 62,017 hectares of cultivable land, irrigation coverage currently only extends to 20,000 hectares.

Efforts are underway to expand irrigation coverage, with plans to irrigate an additional 1,050 hectares of land by completing both ongoing and new irrigation schemes by the end of the fiscal year.

It is worth noting that two years ago, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation Development of Bagmati Province conducted a survey on cultivable land and irrigation facilities in 13 districts of the province.