Kathmandu/sindhuli, May 9 -- The Rs10.05 billion diversion tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin multipurpose project, a hope for the people of the perennially parched central Tarai, achieved a breakthrough on Wednesday, six months before its completion deadline.

The 13.3-km diversion tunnel will redirect part of the flow of the Sunkoshi River to the Marin River, a tributary of the Bagmati River, to irrigate farmlands in the central Tarai. The construction site is located in Sindhuli district, about 120 km southeast of Kathmandu on the BP Highway.

The final point of the tunnel was broken in the presence of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal amid a function on Wednesday.

The Rs87 billion Sunkoshi Marin project located in Sindhuli and Ramechhap di...