LocationsWomen in the remote hills of Nepal use technology to harness change
February 9, 2026
In Nepal’s remote Himalayan villages, beyond the reach of the national grid, UNDP’s investment in micro-hydro has long been a catalyst for local development. Today, women are at the centre of operating these systems, using digital tools to make energy services more accessible, efficient, and sustainable.
Widowed at a young age and left to raise two daughters alone, Ramila Devi Khadka had few livelihood options in her village in Triveni Municipality in Bajura district. She spent most of her time juggling farm work and household responsibilities, with little opportunity for stable income.
Second from the left, Ramila Devi Khadka (42) stands proudly holding a meter reader in hand
That changed when the 200 kW Malagad Khola Micro Hydropower Project offered her the technical position as a meter reader. It was a rare opportunity for a woman to be paid for a skilled work linked to the local energy system.
“Using handheld meter readers, QR- and POS-based payment tools, and mobile banking services, I could read meters faster, collect payments on the spot, and troubleshoot small technical issues. Together with other trained women, we were strengthening our communities through digital literacy and building more efficient local energy services.”Ramila Devi Khadka, Beneficiary
Empowering remote communities
UNDP has long recognized Micro Hydropower Plants (MHPs) as the backbone of Nepal’s off-grid communities. In the mid-1990s, when just 15 percent of households had electricity, UNDP and the Government of Nepal invested in community-owned micro-hydro generating up to 100 kW. These plants quickly transformed villages—lighting homes, powering schools and health posts, and supporting the growth of small businesses.
From the outset, this approach went beyond electricity—embedding community ownership, inclusive governance, and women’s participation into local energy systems, and establishing a model that has been replicated across Nepal.
But many of these systems are now aging or damaged by natural disasters. Recognizing this risk to rural livelihoods and energy security, the Government of Nepal and development partners prioritized restoring these lifelines.
With support from the Government of Norway, the Renewable Energy for Resilient Agri-Food Systems (RERAS) project, in partnership with Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) rehabilitated 8 MHPs, and another 3 MHPs as part of the Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihoods (RERL) programme across Bajura, Jajarkot, and West Rukum districts by upgrading infrastructure and machinery.
With these two programmes, UNDP has restored 290 kW of electricity, bringing reliable power to 5,250 households and enabling productive energy use in both agriculture and daily life.
From cash queues to clicks
As access to reliable energy expanded, a new bottleneck began to threaten the sustainability of the local energy system: outdated, manual payment processes. In many off-grid communities, electricity bills were collected in cash and only at the micro-hydropower office.
For households scattered across steep terrain, this meant hours of travel, lost workdays, delayed payments, and mounting penalties. For user committees, it meant irregular revenue and difficulty maintaining the systems meant to serve them.
All 13 MHPs rehabilitated under the project have now been integrated into a digital billing and payment platform, with payment activation underway for newly rehabilitated sites in Jajarkot and West Rukum. Community members can now pay their electricity bills through digital channels such as eSewa, eliminating long-distance travel and ensuring timely, transparent payments.
Women breaking stereotypes, building future
Women like Ramila are central to making this transition work. As trained meter readers and frontline service providers, they are bridging technology and trust—supporting households to adopt digital payments, explaining new systems, and ensuring that elderly users and women are not left behind. What once took weeks of manual billing and collection is now completed in days, strengthening the financial health of MHP user committees and freeing time for productive and income-generating activities.
In Nepal, technical jobs are widely considered as men's domain while women are largely invisible in the workforce and limited to unpaid care works. Ramila’s technical role has transformed her household. Now, with a stable income, she supports the education of her two daughters, one of whom is pursuing an Undergraduate degree in Science, and has started fruit farming to diversify her livelihood. Beyond her own success, she serves as a mentor and role model, helping other women navigate both technical tasks and social barriers—demonstrating that women can thrive in STEM and energy sectors.
The impact is systemic. With predictable revenue, micro-hydro plants can operate more efficiently and sustainably. With time saved, households—especially women—can focus on farming, enterprises, and education. Further, two of the three ‘meter readers’ at the Malagad micro-hydropower plant today are women—a tangible sign that long-standing gender norms in Nepal’s energy sector are beginning to shift.
In Nepal’s remote hills, digital energy systems are doing more than powering homes. They are empowering communities, strengthening local institutions, and placing women at the center of a cleaner, more inclusive energy future.
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