Kathmandu: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Deepak Khadka, announced that approximately 260 megawatts of electricity have been disconnected from the national transmission system (NTS) due to a recent flood in Rasuwa. The announcement was made during a National Assembly meeting where Minister Khadka presented a proposal for consideration on the Water Resources Bill, 2081, which was previously received from the House of Representatives. The proposal was passed unanimously by the assembly.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the disruption in power supply resulted from flood damage to hydropower projects and other structures along the Trishuli River corridor. The flood, which occurred on Tuesday, caused significant damage to the infrastructure, leading to the disconnection of power production from several key hydropower projects. These include the 111-megawatt Rasuwagadhi hydropower project, the 22-megawatt Chilime hydropower project, the 21-megawatt Trishuli hydropower project, and the 14-megawatt Devighat hydropower project.
Minister Khadka also shared that preliminary investigations suggest the flood was triggered by a supraglacial lake outburst in China, specifically from the Lende stream in Rasuwa. This natural event has had a substantial impact on the affected regions, leading to a significant loss of power supply and highlighting the vulnerabilities of the existing infrastructure to natural disasters.