Until November 2017 Chepel did not have a power supply at all. This concerned both the households and the “farming” as well as the school.
In 2013 a project was started to build a microhydropowerplant in Chepel, together with international and national service clubs from Rotary and the Nepali Government. It took over 3 years before the project was really kicked off. Start of the building phase was on June 1st, 2017. People from Chepel worked during the whole monsoon season until exactly November 1st 2019, when the very first bulb illuminated in Chepel.
For this giant project the following material was taken to Chepel by porters during monsoon time starting at 1100 m sealevel down to 900 m, over a 250 m long suspension bridge, and again up to 2300 above sealevel:
- 137 poles (65 kg)
- 43 poles (80 kg)
- 900 m pipes (1 pipe: 3 m and 24 kg, 1 porter carries 2 pipes)
- 1000 isolators (8 kg)
- over 26.000 m of wire
- over 15.000 m of cable
- a generator of 250 kg carried by 3 rotating teams of porters (20 persons per team)
- and 2 almost 200 kg transformers
The path was extremely narrow and steep and lead over little rivers with slippery stones, over huge landslides with loose crushed stones, over the suspension bridge, and through the jungle full of leeches.
An absolute logistical and organisational masterpiece by Karma and all supporting porters!!