Nepal, July 16 -- Two decades after construction began, the national pride Sikta Irrigation Project remains only half-complete. Launched in fiscal year 2005/06, the project had achieved just 50.5 percent physical progress by fiscal year 2025/26. Around Rs 24 billion has already been spent on infrastructure, while the total cost is now projected to reach Rs 52.89 billion upon completion.

The project aims to irrigate 42,766 hectares of farmland by building a 317-metre barrage across the Rapti River at Agaiya in Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality, Banke. It targets irrigation of 33,766 hectares through the western main canal and about 9,000 hectares through the eastern main canal. The project is fully funded by the government.

The original m...