On 6 March 2021, water from the Melamchi River in Sindhupalchok reached Kathmandu's Sundarijal treatment plant through a tunnel about 27 km long, a moment Kathmandu residents had awaited for decades. President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated distribution on 2 April 2021.
In short: Months later, the June 2021 Melamchi flood damaged the headworks, interrupting supply for long periods. Kathmandu's water shortages remain a daily issue.
For visitors
Hotels in Kathmandu buy water by tanker and treat it. Don't drink tap water. See is tap water safe in Nepal?