National Planning Commission (NPC) has decided to ask the government to involve Nepal Army (NA) personnel in the development of hydropower projects of 10-20MW capacities so that the army builds the capacity to rescue hydel plants during natural disasters reports eKantipur online.

The NPC came to a conclusion the NA’s capacity and knowledge about hydropower should be enhanced after massive landslide in August 2014 that blocked the Sunkoshi River affecting hydropower projects along the river.

The landslide resulted in inundation of the Sunkoshi Small Hydropower Project for 37 days. This caused a huge loss to the project’s developer Sanima Hydropower Company. The project’s powerhouse, turbine and switch yard and penstock pipe were destroyed.