The Ultimate Answer

I believe that the ultimate solution to the problem of power-cuts lie within the people of Nepal. Ultimately, they are the deciders of Nepal's fate. If the people elect responsible, honest, educated, passionate, loyal and patriotic leaders, the problem of power cuts is just a candle in the wind. When such leaders come in power through the people, they ensure that hydro-electric power projects are progressing with full potential. Such leaders would utilize the nation's budget appropriately, by prioritizing certain sectors that are in need of funds. The money that is being poured down on  the corrupt politicians' wallet would be utilized where necessary. New technology, equipment and workers could be imported.

Apart from people electing good leaders, they can also get involved in energy saving campaigns. The people could cut down on the use of filament bulbs, and instead replace them with CFL bulbs. The people could also cut down on unnecessary power usage by turning off appliances when not in use. They could start publicity campaigns about the urgency to save energy and to utilize the natural resources.

Therefore, people have the ultimate power to put an end to this serious problem. People need to stand up for themselves and act!

Room for development

Iowa and Nepal are similar in terms of area. Overall, the United States of America is around 66 times larger than Nepal. What I have not been able to understand is that why can't a country that is as big as a single state of the US cannot be developed. I mean the US is HUGE! Literally! And still almost all the parts of the country are developed. Nepal is a small country that lies between two super powers of the world: India and China. And yet, the developmental process is slower than ever. So slow that even a basic need like electricity is degrading by the day.

The problem of power-cuts is an issue that needs to be fixed as soon as possible. A key to solving this problem lies within India and China. If Nepal were to take advantage of its neighbors, this problem can definitely be solved within a couple of years. For example, a likely solution would arise by importing skilled workers, technology and equipment. Such resources could be exploited to build hydroelectricity plants to produce electricity. Another viable option is to import power saving devices that would reduce the electricity usage.

If Nepal and the two superpowers unite, a positive change is imminent.

A Helping Hand

Nepal is bordered by India on three sides. Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, lies in the heart of the country that is far from the borders of India. Many people live near the India borders, and India has managed to provide (sell actually) electricity to the places near the Indian border. It's kind of ironic to know that while the capital city Kathmandu has around 18 hours of power cut per day in the peak power cut period, the places near the Indian border have around 1-2 hours of power cuts, even in the peak periods!

A few years ago, I had been to a place called Baitadi, which is a district that has an Indian border. I had expected the same number of power cut hours as in Kathmandu, but instead the power didn't even go off. In Kathmandu, even during the non-powercut period, there would often be power outages, but there, the electricity was very stable!

As it turned out, India's power (which had been bought by Nepal for a hefty sum) was better. Power outages were minimal, and the consistency was rigid. On the other hand, Nepal;s own electricity, as scarce as it may be, was inconsistent and was the level of power outages were enormous.

Thus, another solution for the power cut problem is definitely foreign help. Help in the sense that other countries provide electricity to Nepal.

The Knock on the Door

So, power-cuts have finally knocked on each and every Nepali household. The latest power-cut schedule has been released and we Nepalese are far from happy about it. The 37 hour per week power cut will be in effect from December 5th, 2011, and the number of hours per week are on the rise.

So how can we stop this darkness from spreading further? The first and foremost option is to save electricity. The normal filament bulbs (top) need a lot of electricity as compared to the Compact Fluorescent bulbs (bottom).

More CFL bulbs needs to replace filament bulbs. In doing so, a lot of electricity can be saved. To give an accurate idea of how much a CFL bulb saves, we can compare the electricity usage of both bulbs. A 13 watt CFL bulb is equivalent to a 60 watt filament bulb. Now imagine the amount of electricity saved when hundreds and thousands of filament bulbs are replaced by CFL bulbs.


The power-cuts can definitely be put to an end. Nepal is the world’s second richest country in terms of water resources, therefore, the prospect of hydroelectricity is colossal! There are innumerable rivers, lakes and streams throughout the country. If effective manpower is combined with the latest hydroelectricity technology, power-cuts can be the easiest problem to solve.

Recent news and events also relate power-cuts to politics. Corrupted politicians and civil leaders have a big hand in the current scenario. They receive national budgets and international funds to create hydroelectric stations, but such funds, instead of being invested in the appropriate sectors are invested within the political leaders. Strict governmental policies need to be enforced so that such funds are not embezzled.

If such steps are taken, and everything falls into play, we could see Kathmandu like this every single day.

The Veil of Darkness

Nepal: the world’s second largest country in terms of water resources. Relate that to hydroelectricity, and the country must be overflowing with electricity, right? WRONG! In fact, there the electricity sector is in such a drought that in the dry season, there are power-cuts up to 18 hours per day. Okay, lets do some math. There are 24 hours in a day. Subtract the power-cut hours, and you get 6 hours of electricity per day. In general, we sleep like around 7-8 hours a day? So if you sleep during the 6 hours when the electricity is available, you don’t even get to see the glimpse of electricity for the entire day.

Candles, candles, candles. Candles would be everywhere. In fact, I have had so many candle light dinners that “candle light dinners” aren’t even romantic anymore. Now if you talk about the cost of a candle, a 6 inch candle costs around 5 rupees, and they’d only last for about an hour or so. Each day, about 3-4 were needed, so it would cost around 20 rupees per day, and the power-cuts would last for months!

No TV, no computer, and no guitar. I don’t know how I survived!

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