KATHMANDU, JUL 15 -
The country’s infrastructure development has taken a beating in the current fiscal year. Development of key infrastructure — road expansion and hydropower — was slow compared to last fiscal year.
Such is the slow pace that the country added just 245 km of road network in 2011-12 — an increment of 1.05 percent compared to 2010-11. A total of 2,116 km of road network was added in 2010-11.
The Economic Survey 2011-12 shows that only 15 km of road was blacktopped in first eight months of 2011-12, while 45 km of gravel road and 185 km of dirt road were added in this fiscal year. With the new expansion, the total length of black topped, gravel and earthen roads has reached 9,917 km, 5,715 km and 7,822 km, respectively.
Despite the slowdown in road expansion, the number of vehicles increased by 8.6 percent over the period. This has increased pressure on the road. “Number of vehicles per km of road reached to 55 by mid-March, up from 53 until last fiscal year-end,” says the survey.
The dismal state of hydropower generation continued this year too, with just 7.72 MW of power being added to the national system. Same was the story last fiscal year when 8.49 MW was added.
According to the survey, the total length of electricity transmission line has reached 1,987 km while that of the distribution line has reached 95,816 km. The number of electricity consumers increased by 200,000 to reach 2.05 million.
Energy experts blamed lack of clear government policy for slow progress in hydropower generation. Gyanendra Lal Pradhan, chairman of the Energy Council at the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the lack of clear government policy was the main reason behind the slow progress in hydropower sector. “Besides the political reason, high interest rate, lack of initiation to divert remittance to productive sectors and lack of incentives to the micro hydro projects, among others, are to blame for the situation,” he said.
The survey also reveals that the economy is still dependent on the traditional means of energy source, including firewood and cow dung. Traditional energy sources still occupy a share of 86.5 percent in the total energy consumption. By the end of the last fiscal year, it was at 83.7 percent.
The survey says the government is working on some major hydropower projects. “The feasibility study of reservoir projects such as Budhi Gandaki, Uttar Ganga, Nausyalgad, Tamor, Kaligandaki have completed,” read the report.
Likewise, there was also slow progress in the supply of drinking water. The survey has identified shortage of the financial as well as other resources as the major setback for the completion of 1,438 under-construction drinking water projects. “Obstruction from local people to fulfil their demand and delay in work by the contractors were also among the reasons behind the delay in completion of projects,” read the survey.
Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/07/15/business/slow-progress-in-road-expansion-hydropower/357179/
0 comments:
Post a Comment