KATHMANDU: The floods and landslides triggered by incessant rains throughout the country last September27-28 caused a loss amounting over Rs 13 billion in the energy and irrigation sector.
In a report handed over to Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka today by a committee constituted by the ministerial-level decision on 30 September, it is stated that the floods and landslides that occurred across the country had caused the loss over Rs 13 billion in hydropower, irrigation, embankment and transmission lines.
The committee had studied the damage caused to the irrigation and river control projects as well as the power and transmission line projects constructed and being construction by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), its subsidiaries and private sector.
According to the study, 27 hydropower projects and 19 under-construction projects have suffered losses worth Rs 6 billion. Similarly, damage caused to the transmission and distribution lines was around Rs 160 million, said member-secretary of the study committee and CDE of the Ministry, Shaligram Bhandari.
Similarly, Rs 4.98 billion was found damaged in federal irrigation and river control while Rs 2.43 billion in Bagmati province and Rs 207.1 million in rural electrification, the study report noted. The committee has also recommended measures to be taken to prevent damage from such disasters in the future.
Receiving the report, Energy Minister Khadka pledged to work on behalf of the ministry to implement the report.
He had formed a five-member committee under the coordination of Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Jeevchha Mandal, to assess the damage caused to the entire energy sector and river control and irrigation projects, including the Upper Tamakoshi hydropower project and private sector hydropower projects.
