Mugu villagers living in dark for years

Many villages in Mugu district are without electricity for years, affecting the local people in many ways.

A lack of power supply means the villagers have to depend on traditional sources of light like 'Diyalo' (pine tree wood with resin that produces light when lit), and kerosene lamp. Using traditional means for light has had many health problems for them. Kumma Lal Budha of Sobhagun of Chhayanath Rara Municipality-12 and his family are relying on Diyalo for years. Kumma Lal, now 69, is suffering from asthma and eye problems.

“I am suffering from asthma and eye problems as a result of depending on Diyalo for years. We are dependent on Diyalo since the time of our forefathers,” he said. He has suffered from asthma around 25 years ago as a result of smoke inhalation from Diyalo, he claimed. He has also a cataract. Many villagers have been suffering from the disease as a result, he maintained.

Budha has now lost his hope that he would see electricity during his lifetime. “The village may not get electricity during my time. Even now, we are dependent on Diyalo,” he shared.

Smoke emanating from Diyalo has been a major factor for elderly people to develop asthma, said an official at Karmarong Rural Municipality. Around 75 percent of elderly people have contracted the disease due to smoke from Diyalo, he said.

Out of around 1,200 households in this rural municipality, the total 431 have lacked an access to electric power, forcing them to be dependent on Diyalo and kerosene lamp. Power generated from 60 kilowatts solar panels set up at Sorukot cannot be enough to illuminate all villages, said a local Karna Jung Shahi.

It aims to expand the Nerkhola hydropower project and illuminate all villages. But, a lack of budget has been a major concern, said Dharma Bahadur Shahi, chairperson of the Sorukot rural municipality.

The villagers in Chhayanath Rara Municipality go to Gamgadhi bazaar, a half hour walk from the village, to get their electric gadgets charged, he said. They felt pain when the Gamgadhi bazaar just across the village has been illuminated with electric power while they have to endure darkness, he added.

Around 165 families of the village have been living in the dark without electricity, said the village authorities.

Out of around 9,000 households in the entire district, approximately 5,000 have been resting on Diyalo, according to the latest census. The remaining have got access to electric power and alternative energy. Of the total 2,546 households in Chhayanath Rara Municipality, 1600 have got access to electricity.

The villages including Shova, Rowa, Tallekh, Ghattalekh, Salim, Rayangchyakati, Lumsa, Balchaur, Kampha, Baam and Murma are without electric power. The government has yet to expand the national transmission line in the district. The villages that have been illuminated have got power generated from local hydropower projects and alternative energy.

On the other hand, flooding and landslides have damaged many local hydropower projects, thus cutting off electric power to many villages. The flooding and landslides on 5 October, 2022 have swept away 15 micro hydropower projects in Khatyad Rural Municipality, discontinuing electricity to the villagers.

Without repair of the damaged projects, around 3,651 households in this rural municipality are forced to rely on kerosene lamp and Diyalo, said vice chairperson of the rural municipality, Sarita Rokaya.

The natural disasters damaged 15 micro hydropower projects including Seri, Toli, Kharka, Kerai Chimadungri, Paikhu, Jamirkarkha, Panseri and Raskotibada, she said. It requires at least Rs 100 million for repairing the hydropower projects. “The rural municipality alone cannot manage budget for the same. The provincial and federal governments have not been concerned about the matter,” she said.

Local people have been affected in many ways without power, she said. School-going children have been affected without electricity, and the locals have been deprived of income generated from electric-run equipment, she said.

“We are unable to run small industries for lack of electricity,” said a local entrepreneur Lokraj Dahal. The rural municipality is considered to be a pocket area for agricultural products and fruits. Industry to make concrete blocks, sewing and tailoring shops, bread industry, saw mill and crusher industry could be run in the villages, he said.

Children have been deprived of computer classes without electric power, said a local school teacher, Kamal Sharma.

The federal government two years ago came up with a plan to install 400 kilowatts solar plant in Gamgadhi after the Gamgadh micro hydropower project from time to time got obstructed due to various reasons, said the authorities. However, the project has yet to proceed for want of budget, said Dharma Bahadur Shahi, chairperson of the Municipality.

Efforts were on to announce bidding to install the plant within mid-April, said Sajan Bahadur Aidi, the distribution chief of the Gamgadh micro hydropower project.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from Karnali Province including Ain Bahadur Shahi have been putting pressure on the authorities concerned to connect Mugu with the national transmission line.

Following this, executive director of the Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising on an occasion pledged to expand the line to the district within mid-July. He made this promise during his visit some seven months ago to Mugu and Humla district to carry out a feasibility study on expanding the transmission line. [Translated by Pritam Bhattarai]