Kathmandu— Following devastating floods on the Bhotekoshi River, a Nepal Army helicopter successfully landed at the Upper Trishuli 3 ‘A’ Hydropower Project on Thursday, enabling the rescue of employees stranded at the severely damaged site. Previous attempts to land on Wednesday were hampered by poor weather conditions. A high-level team from the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been mobilized to assess the damage and expedite restoration efforts, acting under the direction of Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha.

Rescue Operation Challenges

Attempts to land a helicopter at the Upper Trishuli 3 ‘A’ Hydropower Project failed on Wednesday due to adverse weather conditions. The successful landing on Thursday allowed for an immediate assessment of the damage and the situation facing stranded employees. The Bhotekoshi flood caused significant damage to the project, necessitating the rescue operation and subsequent evaluation of repair needs.

NEA Mobilizes Assessment Team

Minister Shrestha directed authorities to prioritize the rescue of stranded personnel and the swift restoration of electricity services. In response, acting managing director of the NEA, Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha, was deployed to the field early Thursday morning to oversee both rescue operations and power restoration efforts. The team includes key NEA officials such as deputy managing director Kiran Kumar Shrestha, Director of the Distribution and Customer Service Directorate Rajan Dhakal, and CEO of NEA Engineering Company Chirantan Bikram Rana.

Restoration Efforts Progress

Electricity services have already been restored to several areas affected by the flood, including Kharanitar, Samundratar, Chaugada, Likhu, and Panchakanya in Nuwakot. This was achieved through an alternative transmission line connected from Sindhupalchok. Technical teams are now working to extend power restoration to other impacted areas of Nuwakot by utilizing innovative solutions such as charging the 66 kV transmission line at 11 kV.

Alternative Power Solutions

The NEA is exploring all available technical measures to expedite the restoration of electricity services. Field inspections revealed the potential for supplying power by charging both the Chapali–Devighat 66 kV line and Balaju–Trishuli 66 kV line at 11 kV, prompting intensified preparations by technical teams.

The NEA continues to prioritize restoring full electricity service to all affected areas as quickly as possible, utilizing alternative methods where necessary.

(With inputs from RN)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.