Publications

Upgraded water mills improve livelihoods in the Himalayan villages of Nepal (2007), 5 pages.

There are many traditional water mills (ghattas) on the fast-running streams in the remote villages of the Himalaya and foothills in Nepal. Milling is an arduous, low-status job, and millers need to attend the mills up to 12 hours per day in a dusty atmosphere, in order to earn a living.

The Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal (CRT/N), with support from the Government of Nepal, funding from the Netherlands Government and technical support by SNV, runs a programme to upgrade traditional water mills, so that they work more efficiently, can operate for a longer period of the year, and also be used for other activities apart from grinding. Millers with improved water mills can earn more income and have extra time for other purposes. The flour produced from water mills is of better quality than from diesel mills, because it does not get so hot during grinding. When there is sufficient capacity in the improved water mills for multiple users, families no longer need to travel the longer distances to diesel mills, so the use of imported diesel decreases.

Upgrades are partly paid by the mill-owners, assisted by the programme subsidy. Most of the upgrades have used a long shaft on the mill runner, which means that other mechanical equipment (such as oil presses and rice dehuskers) can be used, and a small number of these upgrades generate electricity using an induction generator. There are over 25,000 traditional water mills in Nepal, and they have considerable potential to power a range of services in remote villages.