Trouble connecting

The lack of electricity in Nepal has resulted in a number of unusual repercussions. Among them a weakening of the mobile phone network. As reported in the Himalaya Times this week:

Power Outage Causing Mobile Network Failure
Kathmandu, January 15

If your mobile phone is behaving erratically, this time don't blame Nepal Telecom (NT) only. Prolonged power cuts have created additional hazards in the mobile networks as BTS towers, the network providers, are not getting sufficient amount of charge. Of the 350 BTS towers in Kathmandu valley, some 22 BTS towers have stopped working due to the 16-hour load-shedding each day.

Complete article here.

And it's not just the mobile network, either. Mutsumi today sent me this translation of a notice appearing on the website of the Japanese embassy in Kathmandu. Apparently they've been having trouble with their landline.

Regarding the disconnection of the phone/fax lines

Our telephone and fax have been out of order. It looks like the intermediate distribution frame, which includes our line, was damaged when someone made a bonfire from a pile of rubbish to warm themselves.

Since it will take about a week to rebuild the destroyed system, please call the number below in case of emergency.

Bonfires in the winter are a common sight, even in the city, but I wonder if the fire that damaged the embassy's phone line wasn't meant to clear up some of the garbage that's been accumulating on city streets this week. The neighborhood that hosts Kathmandu's landfill has been protesting again and blocking the dumping of trash.

Villagers bar KMC from landfill site
Kathmandu, January 14

Kathmandu Municipal Corporation has not been able to collect garbage for the last few days due to a dispute between locals of two villages of Nuwakot and Dhading, on whose border the landfill site is located.

The collection was also hit after the locals of Chhatredeurali VDC in Dhading announced to bar trucks carrying garbage from entering the landfill site unless the government meets their 16-point demand.

Complete article here.

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Load Shedding Schedule, Nepal, 11 January 2009

Last week the government announced new cut backs in electricity service, reducing hours of electric service from 12 to 8 hours per day. I live in the area represented by the first row in the schedule below (courtesy of Geshan Manandhar), a schedule that in listing the hours when power is not available doesn't quite give you a clear picture of day-to-day life. Assuming you sleep from 22:00 – 06:00 (which seems to be the case for most Nepalis, with an hour more or less on either side), the waking hours per week in which you would have electricity would be 38. Your electric-available times would look like this:

• Sunday & Monday: 08:00-12:00, 20:00-22:00 (6 hours per day, 12 a week)
• Tuesday & Wednesday: 12:00-16:00 (4 hours per day 8 a week)
• Thursday-Saturday: 06:00-08:00, 16:00-20:00 (6 hours per day, 18 a week)

On Monday traffic was shut down in the city by students demonstrating against the new power schedule. The government blamed the lack of rain and the poor management of the previous government. Sales of generators, petrol and inverters are up. Everyone complains. Fortunately, I'm involved in an activity that doesn't require even a single watt of electricity, unless you care to paint after dark.

One positive development from all this: television stations have cut back hours of broadcast.

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New load shedding schedule, 28 December 2008

As we open the new year I'd like to wish you all the best for a happy, healthy, and productive 2009.

For myself, I see I will have the opportunity on return to Kathmandu Saturday to practice a simple urban life-style. During my few weeks in India, the Nepali government has increased the hours of power outages twice, first to 10 hours daily in mid-December, and then again just a couple of days ago to 12 hours daily. Foretunately, electricity isn't much required to paint.



Leaving tomorrow for the Nepali border, planning to arrive back in Kathmandu Saturday afternoon.

Happy New Year.

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New load shedding hours

The Nepal government announced its new load shedding schedule yesterday. Load shedding, for those of you who might not be able to guess, is a euphemism for power outage, the idea being that the power company, by turning off the juice, sheds the load on the system.

Beginning today, Nepal will be experiencing 7 hours a day, 6 days a week, without electricity. For those that might be interested, I live in Group 1.


Click on the photo for a larger view, or download the PDF file from the Himalayan Times.

And pass me a candle, will you?

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