FEATURES NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

Water Power
Exploitation Essential

By Gandhi Raj Kafle

THE region of South Asia, which boasts of abundant natural resources, is equally rich in human resources. It has already been accepted as the market centre of the world. But, the problem is that this potential was felt lately and addressed slowly in the vision of regional scope for economic cooperation. This situation needs to be changed, for which common policy for development has to be found out. The practical way out needs to be explored for sharing benefit. In fact, this is the policy, which the region requires to reform the market of energy.

Potential

Nepal in its modern economic history is increasingly known for possessing abundant water resources as the country shares nearly 2.27 per cent of the total estimated hydro-power potentiality. The country is remarkably endowed with more than 6,000 rivers, which fall into nine main rivers stretching from north to south. These rivers have strong currents because of the position of geographical altitude. These rivers have potentiality of producing 83,000 M.W. of electricity, out of which the country has been able to generate only 373.2 M.W. until Fiscal Year 2000-2001.

Nepal's river resources flowed untapped for long because there had been no national policy to direct this natural asset for greater utility. The country remained isolated politically and economically till 1951. The newly opened Nepal was infrastructurally weak. Yet, the rays of awareness for speedy development were visible everywhere. Nepal, like other nations in the world, began to make efforts to address national problems spreaded stubbornly in each sector of the nation's traditional economy. In this backdrop, the water resources, also got its policy level priority.

Categorically, the country's planning gets the credit for prioritising water resource mobilisation. It would be relevant to note the strategy of cost- effective production of electricity mentioned in the eighth five year plan. According to the Plan document, due attention will be given on consumers' demand for power while designing and implementing power projects. Similarly, the Ninth Plan too promised to incorporate private sector's participation in the development of water resources. Now, the period of the Ninth Plan has already been over and there is a time lag in the process of formally launching the tenth plan. The country's future plans and programmes about hydro-power development can be seen in the base paper unveiled for officially launching the tenth plan. The paper has its renewed emphasis to utilise this valuable product, for which the tenth plan wants to make electricity an exportable product for Nepal.

Some points mentioned to develop hydro-power in the base paper of the tenth plan are worth mentioning.

Firstly, the river basin, which is the fundamental part for any power project, will be accepted as the basis of hydro-power development. Furthermore, international, national and local needs for power will be carefully analysed while implementing such projects.

Secondly, realising the potential of electricity export from some of the mega-projects, the nation will pursue a harmounious policy to encourage national and international investors in water resource development.

Finally, Nepal's potential to generate electricity is not limited to meet internal demand, it has the scope to contribute to the regional economy too. In this backdrop, the country's power development policy will be harmonised in context of regional cooperation in this sector.

The above points from the tenth plan's base paper explain the national and regional importance of Nepal's water resources.

Applicable

Though Nepal has harnessed only a little of its total hydro-power potential, the country holds huge inner strength to meet energy demand in the days to come. But, this potential needs to be converted into reality for which there needs a true spirit of cooperation within South Asia itself. What are also important for this purpose are the country's own development mindset, cooperation between neighbours and a congenial regional atmosphere for peace and prosperity. So, relevantly these preconditions are applicable to Nepal's hydro-power development also.

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