For three consecutive days, the Annapurna Rural Municipality in Myagdi District has been without electricity, creating significant challenges for both residents and the tourism sector. The power outage began when the Kaligandaki River swept away three poles and wires of the 32-11 KV transmission line on Saturday night, leading to widespread disruption.
Ram Bahadur Khadka, the ward chairman of Annapurna Rural Municipality-6, highlighted the severe impact on essential services. The lack of electricity has disrupted service delivery, mobile phone, and internet connectivity across the municipality. In addition, schools have been forced to halt computer classes, further exacerbating the situation.
Tourism, a key economic driver in the region, has been particularly hard hit. Biren Garbuja Pun, a hotelier from Ghodepani, reported that the mobile tower ceased functioning, affecting communication for both tourists and locals. This power interruption has plunged more than 3,200 households in areas such as Dowa, Bhurung Tatopani, Dana, Narchyang, Sikha, Paudwar, Ghar, Histan, and Ramche into darkness, severely affecting the daily lives of residents and the experience of tourists.
The delay in repairing the transmission line was due to a dispute over the placement of a new pole, as the landowner opposed its installation. Prakash Jha, the information officer of the Myagdi distribution centre of the Nepal Electricity Authority, explained that this disagreement caused significant delays. However, with the intervention of village chairman Bharat Kumar Pun, the dispute was resolved, and repairs commenced on Monday afternoon.
This incident underscores the vulnerability of essential infrastructure in remote areas and its direct impact on tourism, a vital industry for Annapurna Rural Municipality. As repairs are underway, the hope is that power will be restored soon, allowing the region to return to normalcy and continue welcoming tourists.
