Energy and Water Scenario in Nepal
In recent years, Nepal has seen a rapid rise in population, particularly in urban areas, leading to the inadequacy of essential services such as energy and water. As per UNICEF and WHO, only a quarter of Nepal’s urban inhabitants have access to safe water services, and while 94% of the urban population has access to electricity, only 72% have dependable, cost-effective, and constant access to power. With this dual predicament in mind, Gham Power has united with GSMA and Diyalo technologies Pvt Ltd to organize a one-day knowledge-sharing and networking event “Improving Urban Water and Energy Services in Nepal” with the aim of discovering innovative ways to address the water, energy, and urban planning issues in Nepal.
Our efforts toward energy digitization
Gham Power has also taken its own innovative approaches to improve energy services throughout Nepal. Some smart innovations include the Gham Power Krishi Meter, Off Grid Bazaar, and GRIPS (Grid Resilience through Intelligent Photovoltaic Storage) project. The most recent and ongoing project is GRIPS through which we are planning to build a smart solar and storage system to not only increase the reliability of electricity supply in Nepal but also reduce the environmental impact that the increasing energy demand in Nepal has caused.
On the other hand, Gham Power Krishi Meter (GPKM) is an agriculture smart meter designed and utilized by Gham Power, which is equipped with a range of sensors that provide valuable information about various aspects of the farm’s health including voltage, temperature, and humidity. This smart meter comes with our solar water pump solutions and is a crucial tool for empowering the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The farmers gain insights into the amount of NPK in the soil, dissolved oxygen, and chlorine concentration in water. The data from GPKM is visualized and displayed via our Off Grid Bazar (OGB) website from where our team can manage and monitor its utilization.
Our collaboration with GSMA & Diyalo
Gham Power has collaborated with Diyalo funded by the GSMA Digital Utilities in the past to review the suitability of drinking water using GPKM. While the implementation of the GPKM was initiated in Tokha, it is now being installed in over 15 locations where it will effectively be employed to assess the levels of dissolved oxygen and chlorine in water, ensuring its suitability for consumption.
About the event – “Improving Urban Water and Energy Services in Nepal”
As this collaboration with our allies has proved to be successful, we are organizing this event to investigate the current challenges and opportunities of utilities in the provision of urban energy and water services in Nepal. In Nepal, both energy and water are facing difficulties in meeting the increasing energy demand of cities while upholding their obligations to provide sustainable, dependable, and reasonably priced services. This gathering is counted on to produce significant insights on various strategies for digitizing urban water and energy services, with the ultimate goal of enhancing access to cost-effective, dependable, and sustainable energy and water services through inventive methods and partnerships.
With a view to fostering partnerships between stakeholders operating in the domains of affordable and accessible energy and safe water in Nepal, this session aims to identify points of common understanding. Furthermore, it will serve as an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange information and share their perspectives in these areas. This session will also aim to clarify the concept of public-private partnerships in the water and energy sector by drawing from successful experiences in other low and middle-income nations. With the convergence of knowledgeable professionals, this gathering aims to yield innovative ideas for advancing water and energy services in Nepal’s urban areas through the digitization of utility services.
This exclusive event will consist of roundtable discussions and panels with influential participants, including private and government stakeholders, regulators, financial organizations for development, providers of mobile network services, leaders in energy and water industries, as well as foreign representatives. And, it will be taking place at Durbarmarg on the 7th of February, 2023 from 10 AM to 5 PM.
With this event, we’re aiming to increase our understanding of the advantages of digital technologies in enhancing energy and water services in urban regions of Nepal. Furthermore, this event purposes to establish a platform for meaningful collaborations between the government, private sector, and supporting organizations that can foster innovative service models throughout Nepal and beyond.
Contributed by Sijerina Nepal, Creative writing & Marketing Intern
