“The Bihar Electricity Board has said it will take minimum one month to repair the seven pylons,” a Nepal Electricity Authority official told Republica.[break]
The NEA has announced that all repair work on the one tower on the Nepal side that fell down has been completed. The tower is in Pauraha near Chandranigahapur in Rautahat along the Forbesgunj-Kataiya section of the tranmission line.
India has to construct one tower along Kisangunj-Forbesgunj section and six towers along Purniya-Kisangunj section.
Asked to comment, Minister for Energy Dr Prakash Saran Mahat said, “We have directed NEA to put forth the request to Bihar government to repair the towers soon. But we believe it will take some time.”
The people in the eastern region are facing 18 hours loadshedding at home and the industrial corridor is facing complete blackout.
With the completion of repair work, from Tuesday, NEA diverted some excess power to the eastern grid.
“There will be some relief in the eastern side facing 18 hours power cut daily. But we are yet to work out how many hours will be reduced,” Sher Singh Bhat, the director of System Operations Department, said.
Bhat added, “Since the water level in the rivers had risen, the Kathmandu Valley saw some relief in past few days, but from Tuesday the loadshedding will be 12 hours as before.”
With 45 MW power supply obstructed, people in Sarlahi, Mahottari, Sindhuli, Ramechhap, Dhanusha, Morang and Sunsari districts are reeling under an acute power shortage.
Through the Duhabi-Kataiya line, a total of 75 MW power comes to Nepal from India. Given the crisis, only 30 MW is now coming from Purniya-Forbesgunj-Kataiya section of the transmission line.
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