How can I forget those nights when my siblings and I would huddle together forming a unified front against the ruthless mosquitoes while our father would try and tune his crackling radio to BBC World Service. Those few hours of power failures, about three times a week, were so ingrained in our lives. Those three days in a week, almost like ‘Chicken days’ at my Boarding School, added a certain edge to the otherwise bland and generic week. The neighbours as well would come flocking out as each family had their own load shedding ritual. One family boisterously sang songs, while the other played cards under the light of a kerosene lantern. While my brother and I would often, very bitterly, look at that one pocket in the neighbourhood that was always shimmering shamelessly with lights. The Prime Minister quarter and the lucky few in the surrounding area have probably never experienced load shedding. My memories of load shedding however, seem a bit romantic and dream like except for the mosquitoes.
But, it shocks and unsettles me when I think of the daily power failures of up to twelve hours being face by Nepalis at the moment. Something that I obviously have no experienced therefore am in no position to talk about the level of hardship, inconvenience or disruption that it is causing to the people, their livelihood and their quality of life. This situation has once again pointed out the urgent need for the mini hydro electricity projects such as the one the Upper Tamakosi project which is the second public-private partnership for the NEA (Nepal Electricity Authority)
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=169273
Once Nepal moves past this transition period ridden by internal wrangling we can perhaps work towards actually achieving double digit economic growth in the next decade (The aim of the ruling CPN Maoist party) surely reliable energy resources are a pre-requisite.
1 response so far ↓
Bhattarai4PM // January 6, 2009 at 4:15 pm |
For a landlocked country surrounded by the two main emerging superpowers of the 21st century, the potential to become not just energy independent but eventually a net exporter of clean energy is certainly an immense asset not to be overlooked by its political elite. However, the long term sustainable development of the country must be strongly rooted in a transition to a stable democracy which demands some form of short term results. Projects like that in Tamakosi demonstrate the potential for entrepreneurship in Nepal but while encouraging them the government must not lose sight of the necessary temporary short-term solutions that need to be developed hand in hand to secure a durable parliamentary regime that normalises Nepal’s political relations and allows for this kind of projects to continue building the Nepal of the future.