 |
| |
VOL. 27, NO. 47, August 08 , 2008 (Shrawan 24 2065 B.S.)
|
|
Water Mills
An Energy Source At Rural Areas
BY BIKASH THAPA, in Manma, Kalikot
Gone are the days when Dankala Shahi, a resident of Mugraha VDC-8, Kalikot, had to spend the whole day grinding cereals at a local traditional watermill.
She had to walk down steep steps for an hour to reach a watermill near the Baligad river, and sometimes even had to wait in line throughout the night for her turn.
Now, times have changed and life has improved for hundreds of villagers like Dankala after the installation of an Improved Watermill in their area. The villagers can utilize the time they used to spend at the watermill in farming and looking after their children.
Thanks largely to the newly installed Improved Watermill which not only changed everyday life in the village which lies 11 miles away from Kalikot district's headquarters Manma in far western Nepal, the residents have also found another reason to be happy with the electricity produced by the enhanced watermill lighting up the village at night.
Anipal Mahatara, resident of Samala of Mugraha VDC-8 feels like he is living in heaven ever since he started using electricity at night. He is cheerful as he does not have to light kerosene lamps and sometimes smoky pinewood- which had to be brought all the way from Surkhet district- if there was no kerosene.
However, this is not the end of Mahatara's wishes. “Now I want to watch television with the electricity,” Anipal quips.
The locals say their village has received a massive face-lift after the generation of electricity with the improvised traditional watermill.
3 kilowatts of electricity generated from the improved watermill has been distributed to 76 houses in the VDC. The villagers now don't have to walk for two hours to grind two kilos of wheat and cereals.
This project was run by the Alternate Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC), under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment with financial support from SNV and technical assistance from Centre for Rural Technology (CRT).
The government provided Rs 270,000 in aid, Rural Community Infrastructure Development Programme donated Rs 246,000 and Renewable Energy Technology Program (RETP) gave Rs 150,000 for the construction of the project built at a total cost of Rs 600,200.
Besides, the locals contributed their labour worth Rs 85,000. This programme was supported by the HURENDEC based at Manma.
According to Deepraja Mahatara, secretary at the Samal VDC Electricity Programme Management Committee (SVEPMC), the construction of the project which began in September last year was completed in February this year.
The project distributed two bulbs (9watt) each to all 76 houses in the VDC.
Mahatara said that more electricity remains in stock even after distributing it to all the houses.
Every user must pay a monthly Rs 27 as salary to the person who looks after the irrigation drain for the operation of the watermill and Rs 10 as a monthly service charge.
The accumulated cash goes into a trust that looks after the powerhouse operation.
Apart from lighting the village with electricity, the improved watermill is also used in grinding cereals such as maize and wheat.
The mill refines about 4 quintals of cereals in a day and the money from the grinding is also deposited in the fund, Mahato asserts.
Traditional methods were used to irrigate the source of the Andherigad river at the border of Sukatiya and Kalika VDCs and the water falls from a height of 18 metres to produce the electricity.
“This technology is not a big deal for the Kathmandu residents, but it has become a part of our lives,” says SVEPMC Chairman Aja Bahadur Sejuwal, “We are now able to finish off any work remaining from the day at night.”
The beneficiaries of the locally built electricity are not only the women but also the school going kids who can now read and write under the glow of electric light bulbs.
Prakesh Sijuwal, a seventh grader at the local Panchakanya Secondary School, now says problems like smarting eyes, smoke inhalation through the nostrils and tiredness caused by kerosene lamps and pine-resin are a thing of the past.
After the government started the improved watermill project, villagers have shown a deep interest in the programme, RETP programme coordinator Raju Shrestha says.
According to Shrestha, requests to improvise another 460 traditional watermills have flooded in.
There are an altogether 1,985 watermills in the Far-Western district of Kalikot. Among them, 1,204 operate throughout the year, 41 run for 9 months a year and 302 run for six months a year, Shrestha adds.
One long shaft and around 59 short shaft have been improved so far since the beginning of the programme in 2007 in Kalikot.
The long shaft can be used to produce electricity, cut wood and run oil mills, while the short shafts can be used to rotate the mill at a fast rate thereby grinding the cereals in a short time. The improved watermill has been used in three places to produce electricity.
SNV advisor at Kalikot Lok Bikram Shah asserts that income generation and employment opportunities have increased and the villagers no longer have to rely on Indian cities for employment after the implementation of the improved watermill programme.
“The economic activities have shot up at the local level, and people have also started to send their children to schools with the income from their daily business, apart from making ends meet,” Shah shares his views.
“The improvised watermill has not only supported a business to make ends meet but the children are also going to school,” Shah adds.
Chairman of HURENDEC Judge Raj Shah informed that altogether 60 watermills have been improved since 2007. Initially, it was a matter of concern whether the villagers would accept the new technology. But after they became aware about the benefits of the technology, they are queuing up to improvise another 60 watermills, Shah said.
Another satisfied owner of a watermill at Sukatiya VDC-7 Janak Bahadur Shahi said that he has been able to save Rs 15,000-25,000 per annum even after family expenditures and school bills after the mill was improvised.
And Shahi's is the only improvised mill in the far-flung Sukatiya VDC which is a day's walk away from the district headquarters Manma.
“The mill's income is twice as much as farming,” Shahi says, “I used to refine around 15-20 Pathi in a day, but now it's possible to refine three times as much.
Improved Water mill is a good source of energy at the places where electricity and petroleum products are not easily available.
Improved water mills that consist of steel turbine were introduced in 16 districts of Nepal since 2003, by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre and Center for Rural Technology with financial support of the Netherlands Government.
Rice mills run by diesel are not under operation because of shortage of petroleum products. But water mill is not obstructed for its operation as water is available at any time. Budhi Das Shrestha, a water mill owner, in Chauthe, Nuwakot, 40 km north west of Kathmandu, says,' I am able to support my family members by running this water mill.' and added, 'my income has tripled by replacing the wooden turbine.'
According to Min Kumar K.C. United Development Society, Nuwakot rural people there depend upon the water mill, and this has saved their time to walk for hours and hours just to crush cereals.
Similarly, Bhagwati Adhikary, a water mill operator says that the government provided 19 thousand rupees as a subsidy. She has a loan of two lakhs for construction of the mill. The Centre for Rural Technology provided technical support.
