As temperatures soar across Bardiya, residents say they are struggling to cope with persistent low voltage and frequent power cuts that leave fans barely turning and household appliances almost unusable.

Constant fluctuations in the power supply have also raised concerns over damage to refrigerators, water pumps and other electrical equipment. Although low voltage and rolling blackouts have plagued the district for years, residents accuse the Gulariya Distribution Centre of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) of failing to address the problem.

For Sunita Chaudhary of Gulariya Municipality-8, the power crisis has also created a serious safety risk. Leopards are frequently spotted near her neighbourhood at night.

“The voltage is so low that the fan will not even turn on,” she said. “It is far too hot to sleep indoors without a fan, so we are forced to sleep outside with our young children, fearing a leopard could attack us.”

Ramesh Lodh of Gulariya Municipality-10 said the problem returns every summer.

“We work in the heat all day and then cannot even get a proper night’s sleep,” he said. “We pay our electricity bills on time, but what are we paying for?”

Pratiksha Kumari Chaudhary, also from Gulariya-8, said the low voltage is so severe that light bulbs barely glow at night. Despite repeated complaints, she said, the problem remains unresolved.

“When we complained to the distribution centre chief, he told us to get an official recommendation letter from our ward office,” she said. “We submitted the letter more than a month ago. They promised to inspect the area, but no one has come, and the problem remains unchanged.”

The NEA acknowledges that the problem extends across the district. Sher Bahadur Sunar, chief of the Gulariya Distribution Centre, said resolving the issue would require the installation of additional transformers.

“To solve the voltage problem properly, we need to install new transformers,” Sunar said. “At present, the work has been halted because there is no budget.”