National 6 (Spotlight Weekly)

Disappointing Destructions

After the intensification of insurgency, Nepal’s rural infrastructures are under increasing threat

By KESHAB POUDEL

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With the resurgence of the Maoist insurgency following the breakdown of ceasefire, country's rural infrastructures like suspension bridges, telephone booths, small hydro-power plants, airports and electricity grids continue to receive major setbacks.

According to the estimates made by the National Planning Commission (NPC), the cost of damage will run into millions of dollars. “Our studies have shown that the cost of rehabilitation of damaged infrastructures will be around US$ 500 million," said a senior official at the NPC. “If the Maoists continue to attack the infrastructures, the cost will further escalate."

Following the breakdown of ceasefire in August 27, 2003, the Maoists have blown up a small hydropower plant in Okhaldhunga district, 300 miles east of the capital. According to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), it will cost about US$ 500,000 for the reconstruction of the plant. Rebels also damaged infrastructures of 12 MW Modikhola hydro project, 200 miles west of Kathmandu. Before the announcement of ceasefire in February, five small hydro power plants including 14 MW Jhimruk had been blown up.

Due to the growing insurgency, the construction of 70 MW Middle-Marsyangdi Project, 200 miles west of Kathmandu, is getting regularly disrupted resulting in the delay in its completion. The Karnali highway project has already been suspended and similar is the fate of many other road projects in the rural areas.

Despite the government’s commitment to guarantee security, the construction of another major mega project Melamchi Drinking Water, located 60 miles east of Kathmandu, is also often disrupted.

“The NEA has spent US$ 3 million in the reconstruction of the projects in the last few months, which includes a Chanuta Sub-station, the main distribution grid to far-western Nepal and 132 KV high-tension line in Kavre. Maoists have already bombed a number of Sub stations disrupting the power supply in many pars of the country," said the official.

Telecommunication is one of the major sectors badly affected by the insurgency. In the last seven years, many telephone towers were blown up disconnecting telephone links in many parts of the country. Following the destruction of repeater tower in Dhankuta, 400 miles east of Kathmandu, VHF telephone links in remote village of eastern districts Terathhum, Sankuwasabha, Dhankuta and Bhojpur were disrupted. Thanks to the destruction of airport facilities in the rural areas, air service - the only means of transport to those places - remains disrupted causing inconvenience for the local people.

After the breakdown of ceasefire, Maoists had blown up another telephone exchange in Rampur of Chitwan district, 100 miles south-west of Kathmandu making 400 telephone lines non-functional. A major damage was caused to a repeater tower in Janakpurdham town, 250 kilometers south-east of Kathmandu disconnecting its direct telephone links with the rest of the Kingdom.

“We have already incurred losses to the tune of around US$ 10 million and it will take years to repair the damaged telephone infrastructures. We are now providing limited number of satellite telephones to those areas where telephone links have been damaged,” said a senior official of the Nepal Telecom.

The Maoist rebels blew up a suspension bridge in Tamore river of Taplejung district, 500 miles east of Kathmandu. As a result, more than 25,000 population of the area have to walk for more than two hours to reach from one village to the next. In Ruku VDC of Kalikot, the rebels blew another suspension bridge forcing 45,000 villagers to walk to reach another village. According to the former chairman of Ruku VDC Satal Singh Budha, five suspension bridges were blown up by the rebels.

The Maoists argue that these infrastructures benefits only Nepal’s elite and feudal classes. They claim that suspension bridges and airports were destroyed to stall the mobility of security forces.

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“Till recently, 100 suspension bridges were destroyed in different parts of the country. Likewise, many VDC buildings as well as municipality buildings have been damaged. We are yet to fully assess the situation,” said an official at the Ministry of Local Development.

“The recent escalation of violence – in which over one-third of the country’s 3,900 VDC buildings have been destroyed, 19 districts are without phone, five hydroelectric plants are out of action, 250 post offices have been destroyed and six airports have been closed - cutting off people in remote areas from the only means of transportation – is worrying and will have a lasting negative impact on Nepal’s development,” states The World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy Progress Report, 2003.

In its annual budget of 2004, finance ministry has sanctioned about US$ 50 million to rehabilitate the damaged infrastructures.

In the six months cease-fire period, Nepal Electricity Authority, then Nepal Telecommunication Corporation and the Ministry of Local Development had repaired more than 50 percent of the basic infrastructures that had suffered minor damages.

“The direct cost of devastation of rural infrastructures is lower compared to the indirect loss the country’ economy has to face, which will be equivalent to millions of rupees since the destruction of infrastructures like hydropower will stop small industries based in rural areas,” said Dr. Bishwambher Pyakuryal, professor of economics at the Tribhuwan University, Nepal’s oldest and largest university.

Even as the conflict shows no signs of ending, the country’s major infrastructures including hydropower dams, telecommunication buildings; smaller rural infrastructures including small hydro, rural based telephones and suspension bridges are in vulnerable situation.