Bheri Babai Diversion Project stumbles despite early tunnel success

Tunnel completed ahead of schedule in 2019, but subsequent work stalled and overall progress remains at 69 percent after over a decade.

In April 2019, the Bheri Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project in western Nepal—an ambitious irrigation and hydroelectricity scheme—achieved what was then hailed as a historic milestone. Engineers dug a 12-km tunnel using a tunnel-boring machine, a first in Nepal, one year ahead of the original March 2020 deadline.