The village of Dhaulapani has seen installation of water pumps powered by solar panels. The project is by the British NGO Practical Action, co-financed by the European Union and Jersey Overseas Aid. The water is extracted from the Tila river and channeled towards the fields.
Apple and bean crops are flourishing in the district of Jumla, in the northwestern part of the country. Here village life has changed significantly since last year, when the British NGO, the Practical Action, set up a new irrigation system.
The inhabitants now have water pumps powered by solar panels, which supply water to water the fields and electricity to light the houses.
According to information, the NGO project is co-financed by the European Union and by the development agency Jersey Overseas Aid. In economic terms, it is worth 1.3 million Nepalese rupees (10,300 euros); but in human terms it means the local population don't have to leave the village in search of work anymore. On the contrary, now the land is so rich in fruit that the agricultural surplus is even sold, as well as meeting the needs of the inhabitants.
At the moment, 14 solar panels produce energy to extract 20 thousand liters a day from the Tila river, which are stored in large tanks and then distributed in the fields. The pumps raise the water up to 90 meters, and in doing so provide illumination to 70 homes in the village of Dhaulapani, which is not served by the electricity grid.
