Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been able to reduce electricity leakage in its distribution system to 7.99 per cent, 1.66 per cent down from last year's 9.65 per cent. NEA said the leakage in the transmission system was 4.60 per cent, and the electricity leakage of the overall system was 12.59 per cent during the seven months of the current fiscal, a 2.79 per cent reduction compared to the last fiscal year.

NEA had set a target of reducing electricity leakage to 14 per cent in its supply system and limiting the distribution leakage to 8.5 per cent during the current fiscal. According to NEA, out of the total 5.73 billion units of electricity received in the distribution system, 5.27 billion units were distributed, and 458 million units of electricity got leaked. The loss of such a huge amount of energy in the system deprives thousands of households and industries from using the clean energy. Reducing the distribution leakage to 7.99 per cent from the previous 22 per cent about seven years ago is one of the greatest achievements on the part of NEA, which used to suffer a huge financial loss, mainly due to leakage in the overall system.

NEA could reduce the electricity leakage in its distribution system after it started taking strict punitive action against electricity theft, collecting dues from the power consumers, installing high-capacity transformers and upgrading the existing transmission and distribution systems as well as substations. NEA Managing Director Kul Man Ghising had mobilised his entire team to effectively implement the necessary measures to control technical and non-technical electricity leakages. The technical leakage could be reduced to a desired level following the construction of new substations, upgradation of existing substations and effective implementation of meter reading as well as increased consumption of electricity by the industrial sector, which was made to pay as per the existing rules and regulations.

However, the state power utility agency still faces challenges in controlling power leakage, or theft, in Madhes Pradesh, where power leakage still hovers at 11.78 per cent at 23 distribution centres under Janakpur Regional Office. Malangawa Distribution System Centre in Sarlahi has the highest power leakage of 40.97 per cent. Last year it was 41.87 per cent. The high electricity leakage in Sarlahi indicates that the people are stealing electricity, and NEA officials are unable to take any legal action against them. About a decade ago, NEA had faced the same problem in Bhaktapur, where the locals were hooking up to the transmission lines without having to install meters in their houses. The problem of widespread electricity theft was resolved once and for all after NEA officials held extensive discussions with the municipality leaders, who ultimately convinced the people that stealing electricity was against the law.

The NEA officials could also apply the same method that they used in Bhaktapur in the districts of Madhes Pradesh so that the local people are ready to install the meters. Apart from strengthening its transmission and distribution system, NEA should also hold regular discussions with the elected officials of the local level leaders about ways of controlling electricity theft.

Wheat shortage

Nepal imports huge quantities of rice, wheat and corn annually to meet the domestic demand, not to mention other food products like lentils, meat and milk. Much of the imports are from India, and export restrictions by India last year on wheat to control rising wheat and flour prices there, following the Russia-Ukraine war, have had telling effect on our flour mills. A shortage of wheat flour in the market has pushed retail prices of common flour to Rs 90 a kilo and standard flour to Rs 100 a kilo from Rs 50 and Rs 60 a kilo, respectively, a year ago.

This has hit the consumers badly as all food items made from wheat has gone up in the market. India is unlikely to lift the ban on wheat exports this year also as it must replenish its stocks and bring down domestic prices.

The solution to the wheat shortage in Nepal lies in improving its productivity. Its output per hectare is a mere 2.3 tons compared to 3.5 tons in India and 6 tons in China. Some of the reasons behind the poor output are low use of fertiliser, lack of irrigation and poor soil fertility. Experiments in Jhapa have revealed that with proper cultivation techniques, wheat yield can be improved considerably in Nepal.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.