Nepal's electricity expansion comes at a deadly cost

Nepal boasts impressive progress in expanding electricity access, with government figures indicating that approximately 97 percent of the country now has power. However, this significant achievement is overshadowed by a disturbing reality: hundreds of people fall victim to electrocution each year, many fatally. A five-year study of Nepal Police records from July 2014 to July 2019 documented 2,267 electrical injury incidents, with over 59 percent resulting in death.

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A study of Nepal Police records covering July 2014 to July 2019 documented 2,267 electrical injury incidents in five years, of which 59.1 percent resulted in death.

The National Human Rights Commission reports a similarly alarming trend, recording 449 deaths from electric shock over a five-year period. Beyond fatalities, a substantial number of survivors are left with lifelong disabilities. These incidents are not isolated to specific regions but follow a similar pattern across provinces. Crucially, many cases stem not from victim negligence but from the poor management and maintenance of electrical infrastructure.

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The number of survivors left with lifelong disabilities is also substantial.

Numerous documented cases reveal people dying or losing limbs while repairing water pumps due to power fluctuations, or farmers electrocuted by unrepaired snapped power lines. High-voltage transmission lines damaged by storms often remain live until repaired by the Nepal Electricity Authority, leading to preventable deaths and disabilities. A tragic incident in March 2024 in Dang resulted in the deaths of three family members who contacted a live power line that had not been repaired promptly.

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One such tragedy occurred in March 2024 in Rapti Rural Municipality of Dang, where three members of the same family died after coming in contact with a live power line that had not been repaired on time.

While the Nepal Electricity Authority sometimes attributes accidents to road expansion or excavation damaging poles, this argument fails to excuse the authority's neglect in ensuring prompt repairs and public safety. Victims and their families face arduous struggles for compensation, which is often meager. Sabita Thapa, who lost both arms in 2014, received only Rs 375,000 in compensation, a fraction of her Rs 5 million medical costs. This focus on generation and exports, while economically vital, has not been matched by a commitment to public safety, leaving a critical gap in the nation's development.

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Victims and their families often face a long struggle to get compensation, which in most cases is meagre.