Jaisara Neupane of Nanikot, Panchaljharana Rural Municipality-8, Kalikot, saw a solar light for the first time 19 years ago at the age of 48.

The light given to her by solar power, who had been using dry embers as a support in the darkness since a young age, was truly unforgettable.

While working while breathing the smoke from the dry embers, she would press the switch to light the bulb. ‘I am 67 years old now,’ she said, recalling that moment. ‘Until I was 48, we used to do all our work by burning a lamp, our children used to study by the light, and the embers burning in front would emit a lot of smoke, making it difficult to sit.’

At a time when matches and lighters were not available, the solar power connection was a great joy for Jaisara. From that day on, she did not have to breathe the smoke from the embers day and night, she could breathe clean air. In the fiscal year 2063/064, the Alternative Energy Promotion Center launched the ‘Karnali Ujjaya’ program, which distributed 12-watt solar-powered lamps in nine districts of Karnali and the Far West. This program pushed the daily lives of many people like Jaisara from darkness to light and replaced traditional sources of light like diyalo, ningalo, and tuki.

In Upper Karnali, where the central power transmission line did not reach, it became much easier after solar installation and operation of small and hydropower projects. Bhim Pariyar of Adanchuli Rural Municipality of Humla says that not only did the traditional tuki, diyalo, and losta not get displaced, but the environment was also made cleaner. "The smoke emitted when burning a lamp used to be very uncomfortable for children and the elderly," he said, "but now with solar installed, we don't have to suffer from the smoke. If no government or non-government body connects it, we can connect it ourselves." She said that solar energy is considered very useful in remote areas because it is less expensive and easy to use.

According to the data of the National Census 2078, Karnali Province has the highest number of households using solar energy among the seven provinces, at 175,306. The data shows that 181,676 households have access to hydropower. Solar energy and micro-hydropower projects in areas not covered by the central electricity transmission line have made the lives of the residents of remote areas of Karnali easier.

According to the census data, 50 percent of Karnali households are outside the reach of the national transmission line. But even though the national transmission line has not been expanded, the residents here are using clean energy to the maximum extent.

Anami Ramdevi Rawat of the Jair Health Post in Sarkegad Rural Municipality of Humla provided services to more than 80 pregnant women with just a torch. She has many cases of making Kuruwa give birth by using a torch. She said that after installing solar panels at the health post a year ago, she was no longer forced to provide services with a torch. According to her, other office work has also become easier due to solar. She said that she is happy to be able to provide services in the light. While serving in remote areas, she has also been able to talk to distant relatives on social media. She shared her experience of solar bringing happiness in remote areas.

Bhupendra Shahi, who has been working in Karnali for a long time in the field of climate change and biodiversity conservation, says that the use of solar and micro-hydropower projects in remote areas has made life much easier for locals. He believes that the use of alternative energy has also reduced deforestation. ‘Traditional sources of light are being displaced,’ he said, ‘which has not only stopped indoor pollution but also prevented indiscriminate deforestation.’

According to him, the average life expectancy of women who work in the smoke most of the time has also increased after the use of solar panels. Although micro-hydropower projects are very useful, Shahi says that there is a problem of projects collapsing and deteriorating due to floods and landslides, and if they are not repaired in time, they remain idle for a long time. He says that if the management side is good, the government can provide clean energy to remote villages with less investment.

Dhawa Samduk Gurung, the chairman of Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality of Dolpa, said that solar power has been installed throughout the municipality. According to him, the work has been carried out by installing solar power in the government budget. ‘For us, solar power is a blessing,’ he said, ‘If there is no solar power, there is no other way to provide electricity here. It takes a lot of time and money to expand micro hydro in scattered settlements, so solar power has been very useful in every home and government office.’ Chairman Gurung says that for long-term lighting, the provincial and federal governments need to develop small hydropower projects in coordination with the local government.

The federal and provincial governments are carrying out construction and maintenance work on small hydropower projects in Karnali. According to the provincial Ministry of Water Resources and Energy Development, Binod Kumar Bhandari, the ministry’s chief accounting officer, informed that 181.366 million was spent out of the 234.272 million budget allocated in the fiscal year 2079/080.

Similarly, in 2080/081, out of the budget allocation of 197.891 million, 132.898 million has been spent. Similarly, in the current fiscal year, 66.7 million has been allocated. In 2081/082, out of the budget allocation of 123.475 million, 89.932 million has been spent. According to Bhandari, the budget is decreasing every year. He said that the budget coming through the conditionalities of the federal government is also decreasing.

The ambitious 'Karnali Ujjaya' program implemented by the Karnali Province Government since 2076 Magh to electrify the villages of Karnali is also in a state of limbo. With the start of the Karnali Ujjaya program, the Chief Minister's Office arranged the budget and the Alternative Energy Promotion Center provided technical assistance. The provincial government had allocated Rs 1.1 billion in three years, of which about Rs 786 million could not be spent, according to the data of the Planning, Monitoring and Economic Infrastructure Branch of the Chief Minister's Office.

Electrical engineer Kishor BC, who has worked in Karnali for about 6 years on behalf of the Alternative Energy Promotion Center in the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy Development of Karnali Province, said that the center worked by adding the budget at a time when many small hydropower and solar projects were stalled due to lack of budget. He said that after federalization, after the provincial government itself put forward a plan to build sick projects, Alternative Energy worked with technical assistance under the Karnali Ujjala Program. BC said that even in places where the Electricity Authority could not expand the line, Alternative Energy did it.

The situation of hydropower production in the province is very weak. Although the power generation capacity in Karnali is more than 20,000 megawatts, only 16.54 megawatts of electricity is being generated so far, says Sagar Acharya, Information Officer at the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy Development. According to him, 236 projects, both small and large, have been completed in Karnali. 70 projects, both small and large, are in various stages. 14 small hydropower projects in various districts are currently closed.

It is said that they have not been able to come into operation due to poor management, natural disasters and technical reasons. Currently, 17 hydropower and solar energy projects have received construction permits in Karnali Province. The target is to generate 924 megawatts of electricity from the projects under construction. The nine projects that have completed the study work and submitted the construction permits will have a capacity to generate 2,491 megawatts of electricity. The six projects that have been studied by the Government of Nepal have a capacity to generate 154 megawatts of electricity.

The 10 projects currently being studied by the government will have a capacity to generate 2,036 megawatts of electricity. Out of the 20,000 megawatts of hydropower projects that can be constructed technically and economically, 70 small and large projects of 10,000 megawatts are currently in various stages in Karnali Province.

Of the 10 districts of Karnali, Humla has not yet been connected to the national transmission line. The national transmission line was connected to Mugu and Dolpa districts only 2 years ago. The Electricity Authority Provincial Office, Surkhet, has data on the lack of electricity transmission lines in 13 local levels in Karnali. According to the office, the number of households in Karnali that have received electricity from the national transmission line is 279,078. 35,698 households have received electricity from small and micro hydropower projects, while 244,344 households have access to solar energy.

Recently, the use of clean energy in Karnali has reduced the incidence of respiratory diseases, especially among women and children, according to senior pediatrician Dr. Nawaraj KC. ‘Earlier, children were roasted in fire, spending a lot of time in smoke,’ he said, ‘but now various studies show that such problems have decreased. There used to be more chronic patients due to lung problems due to smoke, but now there has been some reduction.’ According to Dr. KC, the use of clean energy has also brought about positive changes in the health of Karnali.

Number of households using clean energy for lighting by district
Census, 2078