Power restored across much of flood-hit Rasuwa and Nuwakot, but remote pockets remain dark

Electricity has returned to most flood-hit areas of Nepal’s Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, giving a major boost to search, rescue and relief operations while some remote settlements remain without grid power.

Flash floods along the Bhotekoshi River on August 26 swept away power pylons and damaged hydropower infrastructure across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. Thirteen hydropower projects, including facilities under construction, were also damaged. The Nepal Electricity Authority said power had been restored in more than 75 percent of affected areas.

“Even with 300 megawatts of generation offline, we have managed to route power for internal consumption,” said Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha, the authority’s acting executive director. He said distribution had recovered by 75 to 80 percent in Rasuwa and reached about 95 percent in Nuwakot.

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Even with 300 megawatts of generation offline, we have managed to route power for internal consumption.

Engineers used older transmission routes to reconnect local feeders. The old 66-kilovolt line from Chilime and Devighat, which once supplied Kathmandu, was stepped down to 11 kilovolts to restore electricity locally. Power returned to Nuwakot’s market areas on August 27. Dhunche was operating at about 90 percent capacity, while Dhading had regained full supply.

The recovery has not reached some of the worst-hit and most isolated communities. The utility plans to send technicians by helicopter and distribute portable two-kilowatt solar units where damaged roads and transmission lines block access. More than 100 backup solar units have already been sent to Syaphrubesi and Timure so residents can light homes and charge phones. In Amachhodingmo, four of five wards remained without electricity, while power had been restored in nearly all wards of Bidur.

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We sent more than 100 solar backup units to those areas so residents can light their homes and charge their mobile phones.