Nepal floods knock out 12 hydel projects, solar banks rushed to districts

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Aug 27, 2026 13:30 IST

Nepalese authorities on Thursday arranged alternative power supplies for flood-hit areas after flash floods damaged power projects and disrupted electricity in parts of the Himalayan nation. The move came as officials continued a search for hundreds of people missing after Wednesday's disaster.

The floods on the Bhotekoshi River along Nepal's border with Tibet caused widespread damage across three districts. Authorities said 12 hydropower projects were damaged, stopping 431.1 megawatts of electricity generation, while 177 people and more than 826 others, including over 300 Indian tourists, were reported missing.

According to Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha's secretariat, the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources mobilised mechanisms to arrange alternative power supplies in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. In coordination with the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, the ministry is sending 500 solar power banks to the affected areas on Thursday, Shrestha's aide Sanjeev Maharjan said.

The ministry also handed over 300 solar power banks to the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority for distribution in the flood-affected areas. Maharjan said immediate restoration of electricity in Rasuwa was not possible because the flood washed away a substation. "We have already dispatched 300 units of power banks and another 200 are on the way so that people can use them as an alternative source of lighting and to charge mobile phones," he said.

Meanwhile, The Rising Nepal newspaper reported that the Nepal Electricity Authority restored electricity supply to various parts of Nuwakot through alternative transmission arrangements. The authority said the restoration was carried out through an alternative line from Sindhupalchok. Quoting NEA spokesperson Rajan Dhakal, the newspaper said preparations were underway to bring other lines into operation after the necessary technical work, and efforts were being made to resume electricity service by the evening.

The flash floods were caused after an avalanche blocked the flow of the Lhende tributary of the Bhotekoshi and struck Timure, near Nepal's border with China at Rasuwagadhi. Authorities in Nepal are racing against time to find hundreds of missing people in one of the country's worst disasters in recent years. China's state-run media, meanwhile, said three people were killed and as many as 588 are reportedly missing in the Tibet autonomous region. Overall, the floods have left a trail of damage to power infrastructure and triggered a large search operation on both sides of the border.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends