February 20, 2020
Increasing population and pressure for need of energy from the local population resulted in insufficient energy supply to the water supply pump for Arnakot. Therefore, the Lifting Water Supply and Sanitation Project made a location available for the construction of the Arnakot Deurali Micro Hydropower Project (MHP). A hydroelectric system of an estimated 18 kW has been realized here as a sustainable energy supply. These facilities allow around 100 households in Nishikhola Rural Municipality Ward (Nepal) to use clean water facilities and 10 kW of energy.
The initiator, the Arnakot Water User Committee (WUC), took the entire process at the forefront of completing the project, partly thanks to a collaboration with a group of different interested partners. From 16 June 2019 to 22 December 2019 the project was supported by the Nepalese Red Cross Society, Kaski and the Unica Foundation by delivering building materials from OSHIN Power Services Pvt at the project location. The realization of the project was successfully completed on December 28, 2019, during the formal test and the opening and initiation ceremony of the energy supply.
During and after the project, many field visits and controls were carried out to ensure quality, to educate and make the local population responsible for the new hydropower system. After a field visit by the Nepalese Red Cross Association, Kaski, it was noted that a future road extension could affect the project infrastructure. After agreement with Nishikhola Rural Municipality and the engineers, they visited the location of the project to inform the OSHIN technicians and the community involved. This way, the community can take this into account in the future. The checking, testing and inauguration of the Hydropower Project was done during the opening program on December 28. All residents, ethnic groups and representatives of Arnakot were involved.
The project is designed to generate approximately 18 kW of electricity, the total generated power of the hydropower system is approximately 20,416 kW. All residents are very happy with the arrival of the system, this gives them hope and security for water and electricity for the future.
The Nepalese Red Cross, Kaski, has again organized a program in early 2020 to check the pump house of the Arnakot Lifting Water Supply Project and to view the operating status of the pump. It has been established that the pump houses of the existing water supply project receive sufficient power from the realized project. The local households also receive enough electricity from the water pump system.
There were many challenges during the realization of the project. There were landslides, the route to the construction site had a complex stiff topography and roads were sometimes inaccessible. Nevertheless, collaboration with all kinds of stakeholders appears to be the best way to design such projects technically, financially and socially. When one stakeholder cannot be involved in the project for any reason, another stakeholder from the project location can get involved. This approach helps to minimize stakeholder funds and to use experience to select the appropriate company for project implementation.
It is recommended to the Nisikhola community to have regular technical monitoring of the project. It has also been recommended to the WUC to maintain the maintenance fund for the project in order to be sure that, in the future, water and electricity can be extracted locally through the MHP. In this way the project continues to run successfully, as well after the inauguration and implementation of the project.
