TUENSANG, APRIL 16 (MExN): Two remote villages along the Nagaland-Myanmar border have been provided with electricity for the first time, through the initiative of the Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD). A press note informed that Aniashu and Kingpao villages, located 60 Kms southwest of Noklak, were each provided with a 3 Kilowatt Hydroger to generate electricity. The villages had no grid connectivity and Kingpao is a three hour trek from Aniashu village, as there is no road connectivity either.
Project Operations Unit (POU) members, Ayong Chang and David Yepthomi undertook the installations at the two villages with the help of 3 “rural engineers” from Kingjung village and local villagers. The note informed that “rural Engineers” are villagers trained by NEPeD staff in the running and maintenance of the hydrogers. Hydrogers are small turbine based electricity generating units and can be easily installed even in small streams, as they require less water for operating, it added.
Since 2011-12, NEPeD has also introduced NEPeD Energy Committees (NEC), which usually includes the “rural Engineers” and at least two women members, apart from others. The NECs are encouraged to maintain and repair the hydrogers and also to generate income from the electricity produced.
According to the press note, the two village councils expressed gratitude to the NEPeD POU Members for the successful installation of the Hydrogers. The villagers expressed hope that this will increase income generating activities of the villagers with the addition of man-hours through lighting facilities and savings, achieved with the reduction of expenditure on lighting materials like candles, kerosene oil and firewood.
NEPeD members trained the villagers on how to conduct repairs and maintenance on the machine and also briefed them about the effects of climate change. The villagers were also made aware of the need to assume responsibility through the conservation of catchment areas, as a need to sustain the ecology and for continual operation of the hydrogers.
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