Biratnagar, June 18:

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has posted a cumulative loss of Rs 270 million due to leakage within the past nine months of current fiscal year in the eastern region.

There was a leakage of 4,50,00,000-unit of electricity worth Rs 270 million till mid-March, the Biratnagar branch of NEA said. “Though we are trying our best to control leakage, there is no remarkable achievement yet,” the office said, adding that it has been able to control only one per cent of the leakage. There is a leakage of around ten per cent from transmission line and nine per cent due to technical leakage, Ganesh Prasad Raj, director at the NEA regional office, said.

The leakage of 12 megawatt (MW) of electricity has been noticed in the different districts of eastern region, the regional office said, adding that there is 60 per cent of leakage in Rajbiraj of Saptari district and 15 per cent each in Morang, Jhapa and Sunsari districts.

Wrong installation of wires and hooking are major causes behind the leakage, the NEA source said. “As farmers are operating motors by hooking, the leakage is increasing in the rural areas,” Raj said.

Various awareness programmes against the leakage of electricity were organised in Biratnagar and Maharanijhora VDC of Jhapa district recently, he said. Eleven NEA staffer, who had gone to inspect hooking in Maleth VDC of Saptari had been injured when locals attacked them six months ago.