Kathmandu, February 3:

Unlike his friends, who went to foreign lands in search of greener pasture, Buddhiman Poudel of Daganumdanda-6, Baglung, is earning decent money in his own village and happy.

“Thanks to Girindi Khola Micro-Hydro Plant, I earned around Rs 30,000,” said elated Poudel, who studies in intermediate level second year. Poudel and some of his friends learned wiring job and helped every household in the village to get electricity.

The micro hydel project has not only generated employment to them but also helped other villagers to be economically independent. The electricity has helped them operate mills and run a cable TV. The 75 KW-micro hydel project was started in 2004 and completed in 2008 at the total cost of around Rs 190 million.

However, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, MD of the World Bank Group today inaugurated the micro hydel plant that is one of the 82 such plants installed so far under World Bank financed Power Development Project.

“But the plant produces more than its capacity of 75 KW,” informed the project chief. It produces 92 KW and lights 726 households of Daganumdanda VDC, bordering VDC on Baglung and Gulmi that is eight hours far from Baglung Bazar. The visiting World Bank Group’s MD discussed the benefits of micro hydro plant with the local community that owns and operate the plant. Another 101 micro hydro plants will be installed in the various parts of Nepal by the time the project closes at the end of this year.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala also visited community managed Damkada Higher Secondary School in Palpa. The World Bank is aiding transfer of school management to local communities thro-ugh its support to Education for All Project. Similarly, she visited Madan Pokh-ara Health Post and Jhaltung Danda cantonment site of PLA ex-combatants in Nawalparasi district and met with the camp residents and commanders.\