Myagdi, 24 March: Infrastructure construction has begun to make the hot water tank located in Sekarku, Annapurna Rural Municipality-1, Myagdi, manageable.
Annapurna Rural Municipality has started construction of infrastructure at a cost of Rs 11.7 million with the aim of collecting water from springs located at the foot of the mountain and on the banks of the Kaligandaki River into a pond, arranging bathing facilities and attracting tourists.
Ward Chairman of Annapurna Rural Municipality-1, Dilip Garbuja, informed that necessary infrastructure is being prepared for a hot water collection pond, shelter, public toilet, changing room, ticket counter, and restaurant. “As the hot water on the banks of Kali Gandaki is not well-managed, bathing in the open is currently only possible during the winter,” he said. “The goal is to create a source of income by operating the pond that is being built near the Beni-Jomsom road.”
Sekarku has a natural hot spring with a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius. It is believed that bathing in the pool where the hot water is collected will not only provide physical refreshment but also cure injuries and health problems caused by cold.
The construction of a pond measuring 11.25 meters long and eight meters wide for bathing by collecting hot water brought from a two-inch UPVC pipe 600 meters below the source has reached its final stage. A contract agreement was signed with Kaligandaki Construction Services Pvt. Ltd. on Asad 3, 2081(19 Sep 2024) for the construction of infrastructure at Sekarku Hot Water Reservoir with a special grant from the federal government for Rs. 11.76 million, 685 thousand.
Karim Mullah Miya, Sub-Engineer of Annapurna Rural Municipality, said that 70 percent of the work on constructing the physical infrastructure in the pond and premises has been completed through the contract, which expires on 30th Jestha, 2082 BS(13 June 2025). The contractor has prepared to install three intakes and pipelines at the source for collecting hot water. Since building a road to the hot water source would be costly and would be affected by flooding during the rainy season, some lower structures are being built.
The hot water tank, which is being built about 500 meters from the motorable bridge connecting Tiplyang-Mahabhir on the Beni-Jomsom road, is expected to help extend the stay of tourists visiting Mustang.
