Project Management: Lessons learned from Melamchi water supply project, Nepal

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Management: Lessons learned from Melamchi water supply project, Nepal
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Executive Summary
This lesson learned report reflects the role and impact of different project management for
successful implementation of any project. The project that has been nominated for this report is
Melamchi water supply project in Nepal. Due to lack of governmental, legal, social and
economical support the project failed to meet the objectives and executed delay. The project
budget exceeded the primary estimation due to delay execution. The poor environmental factors,
HRM, contractual and communication issues for which the project was failed are learned
elaborated in this report. In order to resolve theses complexities stakeholders management plan,
risk management, contract and communication management plan are also illustrated in this
lesson learned report.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
1. Poor environmental factors..........................................................................................................3
2. Poor project governance..............................................................................................................4
3. Contractual and HRM issues.......................................................................................................5
4. Communication issues.................................................................................................................6
5. Legislative issues.........................................................................................................................7
lessons learned and recommendation..........................................................................................8
6. Stakeholder management plan.....................................................................................................8
6.1 Stakeholder register...............................................................................................................9
6.2 Influence diagram................................................................................................................11
7. Project governance.....................................................................................................................11
8. Contract management plan........................................................................................................12
9. Communication plan.................................................................................................................12
10. Risk management Plan............................................................................................................13
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15
Appendices....................................................................................................................................19
Appendix 1.................................................................................................................................19
Risk register...........................................................................................................................19
Appendix 2.................................................................................................................................20
Stakeholder management plan...............................................................................................20
Appendix 3.................................................................................................................................21
Communication plan..............................................................................................................21

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Introduction
Environmental issues are the most challenging factors that interrupt the growth and
economic backbone of any state or country. Due to some of these environmental issues the
citizens of Nepal are failing to avail desired water. The government of Nepal had initiated the
Melamchi water transfer/ Melamchi water supply project in the year of 1997 for meeting the
growing water demand in Katmandu (Liu & Binu, 2018). The final project approved in the year
of 2000 and this lesson learned report discusses the detail lessons learned from the project. The
poor environmental factors for which the people of Katmandu were facing water supply
challenges are discussed in this paper along with the poor project governance method.
Nowadays, Katmandu city’s water supply system can successfully supply 1/4th of the
total city’s water demand of approximately 370 MLD. It has been identified that the acute
drinking water scarcity of Nepal can be resolved in coming 25 years by transferring water from
hr upstream located rivers of Katmandu. In addition to this, the HRM issues, poor contractual
issues, communication, legislative and other risks are also elaborated in this paper. In order to
resolve theses identified challenges a risk register, communication strategies, stakeholder
management plan and a contract management plan is developed and elaborated in this lesson
learned report.
1. Poor environmental factors
After detail study of the water supply project I have learned that, in the year of 1973 the
Nepal government has explored some alternatives for addressing the issues of water supply in
Katmandu, Nepal. In the year of 1988 the partners of United Kingdom and Binnie had found the

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best technical option as Melamchi valley. The snowy mountain engineering corporation of
Australia conducted a feasibility study and an environmental assessment in 1992 to confirm that
technically, economically and socially Melamchi valley is the best possible alternative for water
supply in Nepal (Li, Ma & Wei, 2018). In order to examine the strategic environmental
assessment system long term consequence on plan, program and policies are referred to as the
most effective ways. Though, for addressing the environmental issues higher level decisions and
environmental assessment are conducted. I feel that the strategic environmental assessment is
considered as a forward looking process and it is believed that the unsustainability is occurring
due to upstream decision making. The environmental policy making approach was extremely
poor and the symptoms were not identified at the early stage (Mishra & Gupta, 2015). On the
other hand, the tranboundary risks, national budget, treaty and trade environmental risks are the
poor environmental factors associated to the Melamchi water supply project of Nepal.
2. Poor project governance
The decision making approach followed by the project associates were extremely weak.
Due to political instability the decision making power was not give to the Nepal government
regarding the water supply project. Therefore, it was identified as a major quandary for the Nepal
government during the settle down of the issues and design like institutional mechanism which
might be acceptable (Neupane, 2017). I have learned that the government was unable to invest
sufficient assets for the victorious conclusion of this project therefore they had to depend on
external funding. I think that the actors who played active role in the water supply project are the
donors and the government but lack of proper decision making was the main reason for which
the project failed to govern towards the success line and also the project failed to be

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accomplished within assigned timeline (Daha & Timsina, 2015). The primary project activities
were interrupted many times and due to weaker governmental set up many times the project
activities were almost stopped. In order to resume these activities the international contracts are
needed to be renegotiated with the donors (Gurung et al., 2017). After realizing theses challenges
the government came to agree on renegotiation for revising the project budget and activities at
the same time. The supports for public were required to be strengthening with the increasing
transparency with stakeholder’s participation and management. I think that in order to protect the
Katmandu valley from vulnerabilities these identifies critical issues were required to be
addressed in a more advanced way. Some of the human rights were avoided and the
communication and protection mechanisms were also failed (Jensen, 2017). These are the
governing factors required to be addressed during the project development lifecycle and thus
lead to poor project governance.
3. Contractual and HRM issues
As per the International fund of agriculture and development it is learned that this
particular water supply project was an intervention which is comprises of a set of planned,
interrelated project activities developed for achieving the primary project activities within
specific project time and budget as well. I feel that the project was extremely complex and
developed with and one time effort of budget, resources and time for meeting the beneficiaries.
The project failed to meet the objectives because of the human factors and contractual issues
(Dongol, Khadka & Kharel, 2016). The assigned executives did not support the other project
associates during the project progress period on the other hand, the users failed to give proper
user inputs required for implementing the project. I have learned that delay in deciding project