<figure><img width="1500" height="1125" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111412114/637221029c7e80680e0c0296jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>All photos: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>The newly-elected Mayor of Kathmandu Balen Shah has called waste management of the city his top priority. Even before being sworn in, he visited the Sisdol landfill site to see what a challenge he has given himself. Mayor Shah wants to incinerate segregated waste at the new dumping site in Bancharedanda, and compost the biodegradable garbage into fertiliser to distribute to farmers.All good ideas, but what the structural engineer/rapper mayor may have missed is the potential to turn the waste also into biogas.Urban municipalities across Nepal generate over 2,200 metric tons of solid waste a year, 54% of which is organic, and this could generate close to 10,000 metric tons of methane gas. Gasifying just the waste from Kathmandu Valley could produce 1,700 cylinders of bio-CNG daily.“Given that more than half of Nepal’s municipal garbage is biodegradable, generating bio-CNG in digesters could be the answer to energy self-sufficiency and sustainability,” writes Sushmita Dulal of WindPower Nepal.She adds: “This is a win-win, it improves the urban environment, reduces carbon emission and slashes the trade deficit by substituting LPG and chemical fertiliser use.”Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/waste-to-value-with-biogas-in-nepal/">Waste to value with biogas in Nepal</a>, Sushmita DulalNepal has already demonstrated that it is a pioneer in household biogas, with more than 300,000 digesters in use that turn farm manure into kitchen gas.The focus has now shifted from domestic biogas to industrial-scale plants for densely populated urban centres. At present, there are 18 commercial biogas plants across Nepal, nine of them under construction.One of them is Gandaki Urja in Pokhara, the third industrial-scale biogas plant in Nepal and also the largest, with a digester volume of 3,000 cubic metres. It started operations in December 2019, and has been supplying bio-CNG cylinders to big hotels, restaurants, as well as selling fertiliser made from the effluent.But the lack of raw material (manure and waste biomass) due to minimal waste segregation at the source, Gandaki Urja is having to feed its digesters waste from agriculture and poultry farms and is only generating 1,200 tons of biogas a day.Half of the plant’s revenue comes from the effluent which is dried and sold as organic fertiliser in farms in Kaski and Tanahu. The plant can produce up to 11,000 tons of fertiliser a year, and while it is nowhere near Nepal’s total demand of 900,000 tons a year, there will be more organic fertiliser when other commercial plants are built. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/this-is-bullshit/">This is bullshit</a>, Kunda Dixit <figure><img width="1296" height="616" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111412114/637221069c7e80680e0c0297jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Says Kushal Gurung of Gandaki Urja: “Every year Nepal suffers from a chronic lack of chemical fertilisers but it could become a net exporter with a potential of generating 2.5 million tons a year provided that the government prioritises and invests in organic fertilisers.”The biggest challenge for developers is that LPG gets over Rs1,000 subsidy per cylinder, although the new budget plans to slash the tax rebate.This means the cost per kg for the bio-Compressed Natural Gas (bio-CNG) has to be the same as that of the LPG regardless of its higher manufacturing cost.“At the rate our petroleum imports are going up, there is no way we will meet our climate targets but I have not lost hope,” says Gurung. “Turning to biogas is a no-brainer. It will create jobs, convert waste into energy, reduce greenhouse gas emission, as well as generate organic fertiliser which will increase soil fertility.”Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/toilet-cafe/">Toilet Cafe</a>, Aria Shree ParasaiBut technological know-how remains a big challenge in scaling up commercial biogas in Nepal. All the machinery has to be imported and in case of repairs or damage, there is no local skill, adding to the cost of operation. Nepal government’s Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) has been at the forefront of promoting biogas. Until recently it was also providing technical support and subsidy to industrial plants (up to 40% in machinery) before the World Bank stopped its investment in biogas.“Biogas is the answer to waste management in Nepal. Increasing job opportunities and reducing our dependence on LPG with this alternative sounds great too but it is not easy to secure funding,” explains AEPC bioenergy expert Sushim Amatya.If biogas is to substitute a bigger portion of Nepal’s LPG consumption, developers need government subsidies and investment to be directed in the most cost-efficient sectors.One strategy could be to promote different forms of alternative energies side by side: upgrading Nepal’s electricity infrastructure so that transmission lines can handle increased supply, while also subsidising biogas by slashing the rebate on LPG. Adds Amatya: “Subsidising LPG makes absolutely no sense, it benefits only India and the Gulf. It will definitely not help the climate but renewables also need to be easily available and affordable, the notion of cleaning up the environment alone will not move the general population unless cost-effectiveness is added to the mix.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/toilet-trained-in-nepal/">Toilet-trained in Nepal</a>, Aryan Sitaula

Sonia Awale

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More bullshit

<figure><img width="1198" height="1227" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016114/636d13819c7e80680e0a9926jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: BIKRAM RAI/ NEPALI TIMES ARCHIVES</figcaption></figure>Nepal could lose Rs142 billion a year in wasted surplus energy if the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/just-do-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)</a> project designed to upgrade the electricity grid and highways is not endorsed by Parliament.
Nepal is currently generating 2,000MW of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/manpower-and-hydropower/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hydroelectricity</a> with an additional 2,500MW under construction. This figure will soar to 7,300MW by 2025 as per Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) estimates.Presently, Nepal consumes 1,500MW of electricity during the peak season, which is increasing by 20% every year. At this rate, in the next four years, the peak demand will be at 2,600MW, which means there will be an excess of 4,700MW.  
Nepal can export this surplus power to India and there are already agreements in place to facilitate trade between the two countries, but the existing Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross border <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-damned-if-we-do-damned-if-we-dont/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">transmission line</a> can only handle 800MW each way. 
“If Nepal is unable to sell excess energy, we will be losing Rs142 billion every year. At a time when we are lagging in infrastructure, we shouldn’t stop the MCC from being approved,” says Dinesh Shrestha, chair of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).
FNCCI, Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal, Independent Energy Producers’ Association and Nepal-US Chamber of Commerce and Industry have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba urging the government to stop delaying <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/missing-links-in-nepals-mcc-debate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the five-year compact</a> and implement it soon. 
This is the private sector’s second memorandum to the government in a month. The group also states that some 7,000 Nepalis will be employed during the construction phase of the MCC, which also includes the upgrade of arterial highways to facilitate efficient transportation. The FNCCI memo comes just before the arrival in Kathmandu on Wednesday of US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu during which he is expected to discuss the MCC ratification with Prime Minister Deuba and other party leaders.It is an indication of the importance the US attaches to the project that Deputy Assistant Secretary for South ans Central Asian Affairs Kelly Keiderling also arrives in Kathmandu on Thursday. Deuba met US President Joe Biden at the COP26 Glasgow summit two weeks ago, and revealed that he and Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal had written jointly to the US government saying the MCC would be ratified. But the project has become such a political hot potato in Nepal that Dahal quickly backtracked, clarifying that he had only said that it needed amendments before being passed. A large chunk of the US-aided $500 million grant project is set aside to build the Kathmandu-Hetauda-Butwal 400KVa transmission line which will distribute electricity from existing and new hydropower plants on the Budi Gandaki, Trisuli, Kali Gandaki, Marsyangdi, Kosi, and Tamakosi corridors, and also connect to a high-capacity line to Gorakhpur so Nepal can sell surplus monsoon electricity to India.  
In fact, in anticipation of the MCC project being completed, the NEA <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/india-nepal-sign-power-exchange-deal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">signed an agreement</a> with the state-run Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID) for the Butwal-Gorakhpur cross border transmission line extension two months ago in September, ahead of MCC vice president <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mcc-ball-in-nepals-court/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fatema Z Sumar's visit to Nepal</a>.
But the MCC, the biggest grant aid Nepal has ever received has become the victim of intense power struggle and political infighting within the country. It was first weaponised to unseat K P Oli and now <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-row-rocks-nepals-ruling-coalition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatens to split the ruling coalition</a> led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. 
The project is seen by the critics as part of America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy to counter China’s Belt Road Initiative. The anti-MCC rhetoric has gained such momentum that the public is convinced it supersedes Nepal’s Constitution and is anti-national, forcing even the staunch supporters from speaking in its favour.
Adds FNCCI’s Dinesh Shrestha: “The MCC is crucial for Nepal’s energy sector and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/knowing-whats-good-for-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">is to our benefit</a>. Moreover, this is a grant, not a loan. Further delaying and cancelling the compact will <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-row-damages-nepals-credibility/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tarnish Nepal’s image and credibility</a> in the world community.”
MCC or no MCC, one thing is for sure. Nepal must build transmission lines and upgrade its electricity grid one way or the other so as not to waste surplus energy it is set to generate in the near future. 
Alternatively, experts say, the government must work immediately to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/good-cop-bad-cop/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">electrify transport and cooking</a> for domestic consumption of surplus power and reduce its import bill on petroleum products and LPG.

The cost of no MCC

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016110/636d128a9c7e80680e0a98ddjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="1083"/><figcaption>The south face of Mt Gauri Shankar (7,134m) on the border between Nepal and China is bare rock, and shows how dramatically the snowline has receded, and the glaciers have shrunk. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>The COP26 climate jamboree ends in Glasgow on Friday, and already it looks like the best world governments are prepared to offer in terms of emission cuts is not enough to stave off an environmental catastrophe.There were a slew of national, international and multinational pledges for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/net-zero-is-not-zero/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">net zero</a>, but activists fear allegations that the targets are vague and over-ambitious greenwash that they have no intention of meeting.The result could be global average temperatures soaring to up to 3oCelsius above pre-industrial levels, with catastrophic results. The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-terrifying-assessment-of-himalayan-melting/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Himalaya will warm even faster</a>, and scientists say it could lose up to two-thirds of its remaining ice during this century.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-greenwashing-in-glasgow/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal's greewashing in Glasgow</a>, Rashmi Baskota<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016110/636d128d9c7e80680e0a98dejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="671"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016110/636d12909c7e80680e0a98dfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="568"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>On Tuesday in Glasgow, Nepal unveiled three <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/blueprint-for-a-net-zero-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ambitious targets</a>, and without waiting for others to say it, boasted that it was the ‘highest climate ambition country’.In its three-point pledge, Nepal said it would:<ul><li>Start reducing emission from 2022 and be carbon negative after 2045</li> <li>Halt deforestation and increase forest cover to 45% by 2030</li> <li>Ensure all vulnerable people are protected from climate change by 2030</li></ul>In Kathmandu, environmental activist Bhushan Tuladhar welcomed the new targets, saying they were “ambitious but doable” but one which will require a serious review of our normal development pathway.“We can’t look at the commitments as just reduction of carbon emission, but as an investment for our economy and health. Now let’s walk the talk and get to work,” Tuladhar told Nepali Times.A good start would be for the government to order that all official vehicles purchased from now on will be <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/e-vehicles-prepare-for-post-lockdown-boom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">battery powered</a>, and encourage public transport operators to electrify their bus fleets and by reducing taxes and setting up charging stations, he added.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016110/636d12939c7e80680e0a98e0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016110/636d12979c7e80680e0a98e1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1061"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016110/636d129a9c7e80680e0a98e2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">The pledges have been criticised as being too vague on protecting all ‘vulnerable people by 2030’ and annual reduction of emissions till net-zero by 2045 will hinge on implementation, on which Nepal has always been weak. The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-can-up-forest-cover-to-45-by-2030/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">forestry target</a>, however, is seen to be achievable.The targets are also conditional upon financial support, and Nepal will require $46 billion to implement them from 2022-2030, which is 24% of national GDP, and the government can fund only about 2% of this sum.Amrit Nakarmi, an adviser at the Energy Development Council who prepared the long-term strategy report, says that Nepal is unlikely to meet the targets without climate funds.“We contribute only 0.5% of total global carbon emissions and even within that  only 30% is anthropogenic, 20% is natural and the remaining 50% is transboundary, so us reducing <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-doubles-its-carbon-footprint/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">our carbon footprint</a> will not make much of a difference to the global climate,” explains Nakarmi.“But having said that we can replace our fossil fuel imports with clean hydroelectricity and cut our import bill,” he adds. “Electrification of the economy is urgent, and government policies should be in line with our targets and the private sector should be involved.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016110/636d129d9c7e80680e0a98e3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1800" height="1050"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Climate finance and payments for Nepal’s carbon sink from <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/who-now-owns-nepals-forests/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">expanded forest cover</a> will take time to materialise. But experts say we should not wait for the money, and start with low-cost effective mitigation measures locally.Cooking via electricity has now become much cheaper than LPG, and many urban families have transitioned to induction stoves. But 90% of households across Nepal are hooked to only 5amp current which is only enough for lighting. If the transmission can be upgraded, Nepal could save at least Rs33 billion a year by replacing its <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/look-whats-cooking-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cooking gas imports</a> with electricity.Nepalis have paid nearly Rs10 billion in pollution tax for every litre of petrol or diesel at the gas stations in the last decade. This money could be used to buy  electric public buses. Increasing the petroleum excise tax could fund conversion to renewables.Nepal would also save Rs21 billion a year by reducing its petroleum import bill by just 10% if it <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/cleaner-air-with-greener-buses/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">converted public buses to battery-operated vehicles</a> while also increasing domestic consumption of clean electricity and improving air quality. If the transport sector is electrified, experts believe net-zero by 2045 is possible.Water scientist Madhukar Upadhya believes Nepal can also increase forest cover to 45% by 2030 (from the current 37%) by controlling forest degradation due to encroachment, deforestation and reducing wildfires.But Upadhyay is puzzled by the third target on protecting vulnerable people. “We just don’t have the infrastructure, knowledge or expertise to achieve climate resilience for vulnerable people by 2030,” he asserts.“Nepal experienced extreme weather this year,<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/himalayan-floods-a-sign-of-worse-to-come/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> droughts and floods destroyed crops</a>, lack of water is creating climate refugees, wildfires have become nationwide,” Upadhyay adds. “These are not just headlines anymore, we are experiencing them ourselves, what are we doing to address these challenges? Nepal has taken no action to reduce or control them.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016110/636d12a09c7e80680e0a98e4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Other areas that can be cleaned up with existing technologies and local resources include industries, agriculture and waste management. The cement industry is booming in Nepal, and they are big carbon emitters. By switching to electricity, Nepal could mitigate emissions. Rice farming generates methane, which is a greenhouse gas, so converting to the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) could reduce our contribution to climate change.Kathmandu’s only <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-load-of-rubbish/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">landfill in Sisdole</a> has reached maximum capacity and an alternative site has been in talks for decades. Landfills add to methane emissions, but there has been no commitment to composting and biogas using biodegradable urban waste.After overdosing on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/climate-change-is-a-disaster-in-the-nepal-himalaya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate news</a> for two weeks just to be side-lined until the next COP, we might want to recall another one of our targets, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Half of the 17 goals in SDGs will be directly affected by the impact of climate change, and yet these initiatives are working in isolation when in fact they should coordinate and collaborate for the same goal: sustainable and just future.Says environmentalist Tuladhar: “There are two things to do right after Glasgow: explain the nitty-gritty of the commitments we made and immediately implement short-, mid- and long-term strategies to achieve them. Start with the low hanging fruit, what we can immediately do, and there are plenty of them.”

COPOUT at COP26

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108131156/636a52be9c7e80680e052312jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="900"/><figcaption>Russian Mi-17 helicopters fly in LPG cylinders to Syangboche from Phaplu. Photo courtesy: ADAM STERN</figcaption></figure>The import of LPG cylinders has grown 4-fold in the past 10 years. Even remote areas of the country now have shops that stock the red cylinders. This has <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/more-trekkers-more-trees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reduced the pressure on forests</a>, and cleaned up <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19406#.XUlbGvIzaUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indoor air pollution</a> that was making many sick.However, the payment for every cylinder goes to the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=6864#.XUlakPIzaUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal Oil Corporation</a>, where <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/a-klepto-republic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">corruption is rife</a>, and a sizeable chunk goes to the government as tax. The rest of the money goes to India and contributes to Nepal’s huge and widening trade deficit with the southern neighbour. India buys the gas from the Gulf, so a chunk of the money that <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/remit-for-remittances/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepali migrant workers</a> send home goes to pay for the LPG we import from the countries where they work. Growing use of this fossil natural gas has also<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/from-a-fossil-past-to-an-electric-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> </a><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-cost-of-light/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased the per capita carbon footprint of Nepalis</a>.Read also: <a style="letter-spacing: 0.01em; background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/no-smoke-without-fire/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No smoke without fire</a>, Ajaya DixitBut there is a cleaner and potentially cheaper energy alternative: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/12-full-opinion/mustering-the-energy-to-save/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">electricity</a>. This year, the Kulekhani reservoir reached maximum level in a matter of days due to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/borderline-disorder/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heavy rains</a>. Normally, it takes months to fill this rain-fed <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/reservoirs-of-suspicion/hydropower-geopolitics%20,3991" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hydropower</a> storage plant. This is a real opportunity to wean Nepalis from their LPG stoves to cook with electric rice cookers, and use the induction stove at least during the day time.There are many ways to define <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/toxic-pseudo-nationalism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nationalism</a>, and one simple action that could help make Nepal energy secure in light of the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/autopsy-of-a-blockade%20,2863" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indian blockade</a> is to begin to cook at least one meal of rice in home electric cookers. Pre-heating the water using solar water heaters and soaking the rice and lentils a few hours earlier could save a lot of money we would otherwise spend on imported energy.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108131156/636a52c19c7e80680e052313jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="912" height="535"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The Nepal Electricity Authority must introduce time of day metering. The cost of hydropower during the day, at peak demand hours in the evening and at night when the snow-fed rivers continue to flow, should not be the same. This will then serve as an incentive to cook with electricity at certain times of the day, and not others. We also need to use the power we generate and not export it, till we really have more than we can consume.Differential tariff and real-time meters are soon going to become the norm. LPG now forms 2.5% of Nepal’s total import bill of Rs1.5 trillion, and we <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/from-a-fossil-past-to-an-electric-future/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imported 400,000 tons</a> of it last year (see graph above). Cooking rice with electricity may not contribute a lot, but every watt counts.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/12-full-opinion/mustering-the-energy-to-save/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mustering the energy to save</a>, Anil ChitrakarNepal imported over 35,000 metric tons of LPG in February 2019 alone. Each cylinder contains 14kg of LPG and costs Rs1,375 rupees. That is a lot of money going out, and greenhouse gases being released. That is not counting the diesel that is burnt to delivery these heavy cylinders all over the country.In addition there is the cost of transport and the ‘tip’ to people who deliver cylinders. Then there is the initial deposit on the cylinder or the cost of owning one.Nepal produces its own clean hydroelectricity, while we import all the LPG we use. All the numbers show that we are going to have more <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Comment/storing-water-reservoir-Nepal,1042" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hydropower</a> from an increasing number of power plants in the days ahead, and its reliability, both in terms of quality and cost, is looking good.It is easy to hoard LPG cylinders but storing electricity in batteries and monsoon water behind dams is not cheap. If we all use electricity to cook during the day it will save Nepal billions. We can crunch the numbers, work on fancy economic models and have endless meetings, or for the sake of Nepal, let us cook our morning meals using the currently abundant clean hydroelectric power.Anil Chitrakar is President of Siddharthinc.

Anil Chitrakar

Look what’s cooking in Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636934ee9c7e80680e03e027jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="936"/><figcaption>THEN AND NOW: The denuded slope above Namche Bazar in 1983, and the new pine forest.</figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636934f29c7e80680e03e028jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="870">The sound of yak steps on cobble stone streets and their jingling bells in Namche Bazar were familiar sounds. What was less familiar 35 years later was the constant clatter of helicopters overhead. This contrast between old and new was an ever-present theme during a recent trip to the Khumbu — a return journey to the region after my first visit in 1983.There are many more trekkers, and new hotels to accommodate them. The Everest Base Camp trek remains the main attraction with guides and porters carrying gear for primarily European and American visitors. I had come here in 1983 to study the overuse of firewood, and the resulting deforestation. I lived with a Sherpa family that ran a small trekking lodge in Namche, and firewood was their main source of energy for cooking and heating. Without proper chimneys, smoke filled the living spaces and exposed residents, especially children, to respiratory problems.The chief warden of the Sagarmatha National Park then was Mingma Norbu Sherpa, one of Nepal’s Conservation Heroes who died in 2006 in the helicopter crash in Ghunsa. He took the leadership to protect the forests, and Brot Coburn, a UNESCO consultant, helped build the first micro-hydroelectric plant below Namche that provided electricity for lighting and some cooking 16 hours a day.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636934f59c7e80680e03e029jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636934f89c7e80680e03e02ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480">The favourable energy shift towards forest protection and electricity picked up momentum from the late 1990s with the introduction of metal stoves that used yak dung for heating. At the same time, LPG cylinders started appearing for home cooking. Local hydro capacity was expanded for more sustained use in lighting and electrical appliances.Thirty-five years later, there has been dramatic re-growth of forests. Areas above Namche that were virtually barren in 1983 now have tall pine forests. Trails from Namche to Phortse and Thame have robust stands of diverse tree species. Firewood use is much reduced due to the high cost of local labour to collect it, and because propane is a cheaper fuel source. Reductions in livestock herding and the success of community forestry have helped revive ecosystems.Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/?p=17155&amp;preview=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No smoke without fire</a>, Ajaya Dixit<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everest-garbage-caravan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Everest Garbage Caravan</a>, Sonia Awale<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636934fb9c7e80680e03e02bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="1196"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636934fe9c7e80680e03e02cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="1067">In the early 1980s, communication to and from the Khumbu relied on runners transmitting messages by foot, a single telephone line at the police station in Namche, and a postal drop at the Khunde clinic. Today everyone has a cell phone. Porters carrying incredibly heavy loads chat with friends and family. Trekking lodges advertise WiFi service with more emphasis than their hotel rooms.At the monastery in Thame, a young monk in a maroon chuba and matching down jacket showed me hand lettered 600-year old books with ancient Tibetan calligraphy. He interrupted our conversation to take a call on his smartphone.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636935009c7e80680e03e02djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="936"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636935039c7e80680e03e02ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050">One troubling trend is the increasing reliance on long mule trains to transport supplies. Travelling in trains of 20 or more, they stir up dust on the trail and leave an overpowering stench of waste. Locals are discussing a proposal to build a cargo cable car from Lukla to Namche.The Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everest-garbage-caravan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">removing garbage and human waste from Mt Everest</a>. Base Camp is supposed to be cleaner, and recycling bins are common along the trails. Yet, there is still extensive litter because packaging waste is accumulating faster than it can be disposed of.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171140/636935079c7e80680e03e02fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="587">Meanwhile, Nepal is racing to develop its hydroelectric capacity, and one consequence could be that rivers flowing from the Sagarmatha National Park could be dammed. This World Heritage Site deserves permanent protection.How residents, local and national authorities manage the Khumbu’s environmental and energy resources amid pressures of growing tourism and hydro development will determine if the region can have a sustainable future.Adam Stern is an American environmentalist based in California.Read also:<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/khumbu-then-and-now-global-warming-climate-change,4017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khumbu then, and now</a>, Kunda Dixit<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16562#.W__EZNszbIV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defrosted</a>, Kunda Dixit

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