Solar energy connects Nepalese villages to the world (Feature)

By Pratibha Tuladhar Nov 29, 2010, 6:00 GMT

Kathmandu - The cluster of 10 villages in Nepal's remote west may not have access to roads or electricity, but that does not stop the villagers from surfing the net.

They get connected to the worldwide web with solar energy, largely thanks to Mahabir Pun, a man on a mission to spread wireless internet.

Eight years ago, Pun initiated a campaign to connect some Nepalese villages to the world through the internet, establishing what is today one of the best development projects in the country.

A graduate of Nebraska University, Pun returned to his home village in Nangi in western Nepal in 1992 to launch the Himanchal Education Foundation. With support from his friends back in the United States he set up computers at a local school - the first step in connecting the villages to the outside world.

Most of the wireless relay stations are located in high mountains without electricity, with eight of the 10 villages relying solely on solar power.

A basic relay station has been set up in Pokhara city, some 70 kilometres from Khoplang, one of the project's villages, with the help of a local service provider, Worldlink. The relay station then connects wirelessly to 11 others in the area, using an enhanced system with a range of up to 40 kilometres.

The relay stations are powered by solar energy, with enough back-up for at least 3 days, Pun said.

The village communities operate small hydro-power projects to help generate electricity from small mountain streams, enough to power the computers and light up homes. 'In certain places, we depend on micro-hydro projects operated by villagers and wireless is used from their power,' Pun said.

When the project was initially launched, solar power was expensive due to the high cost of solar panels and batteries. But with prices going down, it would soon be possible to connect more villages, Pun said.

By logging onto www.nepalwireless.com.np the villagers can freely share information, send emails, check news or put up advertisements.

The photo of a goat up for sale on the portal is not an uncommon sight, other transactions include vegetables for sale to the use of a particular kind of fertilizer.

It also lets the villagers, who depended on the expensive government-run telephone service in the past, make calls using internet phones at community run cyber cafes.

They also have access to entertainment, weather information or links to online newspapers and news portals, the only source of news in the inaccessible region.

The site is run with the help of a small group of Pun's volunteers and with sporadic support from development organizations.

'Communication is important to everyone and that's what we've done for the people,' Pun said.

'The project has definitely made a difference to the lives of the children in the region,' said filmmaker Saurav Dhakal, who documented Pun's work.

Children can access online literature, academic reading material and children's magazines. Software was especially developed for children and are provided on computers in the local schools.

Nepal's government recently announced blackouts of 40 hours a week, as authorities cut down on power supply due to decreasing water levels in the reservoirs.

Pun says solar energy might be a response the power shortages. 'But during the monsoon, when the hills receive no sunshine for days, the system is not very reliable to run heavy equipment.'

Other projects spawned by the wireless villages programme are an e-Health project connecting village clinics to medics in the capital and setting up a virtual cash machine.

'We conduct a video conference every morning and have trained local health workers for the purpose,' said Dr Saroj Dhital of Kathmandu's Model Hospital. 'The clinics in the villages call the hospital in case of emergencies.'

'There hasn't been a dramatic change, but we have been able to support the clinics with correct diagnosis, prescribe medicines and also save lives in some cases,' he said.

Two years ago, Pun and tourism site Thamel.com to set up a virtual ATM, making made it possible for trekkers to withdraw money in the villages.

'The villagers make a small profit when travelers withdraw money through the virtual ATM machine,' Pun explained.

'The speed of development is not extreme, but it has changed the way people work as access to information helps create a knowledge-based society,' Pun said.

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