Energy efficiency and conservation in Nepal

Nepal is a landlocked country occupying the southern slope of the Himalayas, between the perpetual snows on the crest of the mountains along its northern border with China and its southern tropical lowlands bordering India. Nepal has therefore a tremendous hydroelectric potential, but no other sources of energy, except for firewood extensively used by its predominantly rural population. The rapid growth of the population, which was originally concentrated in the middle temperate zone of the country, resulted in a rapid disappearance of forests in that region. The fairly recent success in controlling malaria in the tropical southern belt resulted in a rush of people into that area, in search of more arable land, with an attendant cutting of forests on a large scale. The deforestation with accompanying soil erosion is a major national disaster, progressively aggravating since the second quarter of this century. Re-forestation on a massive scale is urgent and imperative. Unfortunately the replacement of fuelwood by hydroelectricity is stymied because of lack of capital to build power plants and a distribution network. However, small power plants have and are being built to satisfy local energy demand in isolated villages. Motor transport has so far been small because of lack of roads. It is bound to increase, however, with the expansion of the road network. This will result in an increase in demand for imported gasoline. The energy problem is aggravated by the lack of understanding of the importance of firewood conservation by the rural population. The Government has recently launched a propaganda campaign in order to remedy this.