Gamgadhi, the district headquarters of Mugu, is without electricity for almost two months. The power supply was disrupted in the area after floods and landslides in October first week damaged a micro hydropower project.

This has disrupted daily life for local residents. The power outage has also affected household chores and studies of students. So much so that they have to depend on solar power panels or diesel plants to charge their cell phone sets.

The outage has also disrupted health service at Mugu District Hospital, the district’s only hospital. The facility does not have an alternative to the prolonged electricity disruption. Some essential health services, including ultrasound, X-ray and laboratory tests, have come to a grinding halt.

The hospital’s solar panel with the capacity of 300 kilowatts was built three years ago with the financial assistance of the South Korean government; but it is no longer in working condition.

Dhan Krishna Budha, a resident of Soru Rural Municipality, complained of chest pain a few weeks ago. He visited the district hospital for treatment. “The hospital referred me to the Karnali Institute of Health Academy in Jumla saying that my chest needed to be X-rayed but the service was not available in Mugu,” said Budha.

The district health office admits that health services have been hugely affected. “The hospital is unable to use the oxygen plant due to an electricity problem. There is no alternative to refer seriously ill patients to other health institutions outside the district,” said Umesh Gautam, chief at the district health office.

The hospital has a generator as well. But the health institution does not use it even during the present power crisis. “Eight litres of diesel is consumed per hour to operate the generator. The hospital does not have the budget to manage fuel to run the generator. And diesel is also in short supply in the district as the October floods and landslides damaged roads,” Gautam said, hinting that there is no possibility of operating power generators or repairing solar panel sets anytime soon.

The 400 kilowatt Gamgadh Micro Hydropower Project supplied electricity to around 3,000 households in Gamgadhi area. The floods on October 5 severely damaged the canal of the power project. “The floods damaged around 145-metre canal. The repair work is under construction. Around 80 percent work has been completed so far. The repair work will be completed within a few weeks,” said Dinesh Paudel, an officer at the hydel project.

He said the project would resume power generation and supply electricity after the repair work was completed.

Service seekers have criticised the hospital management for not managing alternative power for emergency conditions. “It is a misfortune that the district hospital cannot manage alternative sources of energy during load shedding,” said Kamal Shahi, a local of Gamgadhi. “The authorities concerned are insincere about the health of common people.”