Blackout in Dhorpatan for a week now

Kathmandu - Flood in the Bhujikhola river the night of September 2 caused a big loss of life and property at Dhorpatan municipality. The municipality's ward 9 was the hardest hit by the disaster. Not only human casualties, the flooding also caused huge damage to physical infrastructures in the municipality. Nineteen people have died so far and the same number of people are still unaccounted for following the disaster. The flood has damaged 171 structures.

It has fully damaged 80 houses and caused partial damage to 71 houses. Similarly, 11 hydroelectricity plants near the Bhujikhola river have been out of operation due to the flood. Some are fully damaged while some others are partially damaged. As a result, the people of the municipality are without power since a week now. Although 55 per cent of the households in the Baglung district have been connected with central power grid, many households in the remote parts of the district are powered by small hydel projects.

Dwar, Phalleghar, Suprang, Ghattepani, Dune Pandhera, Bhusunde, Sukurdung and Lankuribot settlements in the municipality are without power at present. Only Bobang village has electricity supply. Among the hydroelectricity plants damaged by the flood, one has resumed operation after repair while repair of the rest of the plants has begun on a campaign footing, Dhorpatan municipality, ward no 9 chairman Hari Bahadur Gharti said.