Madhesh Province reduced electricity leakage by 1.61 percent in the first two months of the current fiscal year 2083/84 (BS), bringing the leakage rate down to 20.95 percent. During this period, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) recovered Rs 200.97 million in outstanding dues from customers who had not paid their electricity bills.
According to Shambhu Kusiyait, Chief Engineer of the NEA Madhesh Province Provincial Office in Janakpurdham, the reduction is attributed to a combination of factors including electricity leakage control campaigns, anti-hooking initiatives, improved customer billing, replacement of long-inactive meters, and better electricity reading practices. The leakage rate for Shrawan and Bhadra in the current fiscal year dropped to 20.95 percent, compared to 22.56 percent during the same period in the last fiscal year 2082/83 (BS).
The NEA reported that electricity leakage in Shrawan of the current fiscal year was 20.09 percent, rising slightly to 21.76 percent in Bhadra. In contrast, leakage in Shrawan of the last fiscal year was 25.67 percent and 23.52 percent in Bhadra.
Disparities in leakage rates across districts
Electricity leakage rates vary significantly across districts within Madhesh Province. The lowest leakage rate was recorded at the Simara Distribution Centre in Bara district, at just 2.94 percent. Kusiyait noted that this lower rate is largely due to the high number of industrial customers in the area.
Conversely, the highest leakage rate was observed at the Maulapur Distribution Centre in Rautahat district, reaching 47.77 percent. The NEA indicated that areas such as Maulapur and Gaur in Rautahat, and Malangwa in Sarlahi district, continue to face significant challenges with electricity leakage.
Dues recovery and disconnection drives
In the first two months of the current fiscal year, the NEA disconnected electricity lines for 8,782 customers who failed to pay their bills. Of these, 8,234 customers reconnected their services after settling their outstanding dues, leading to the recovery of Rs 200.97 million. Kusiyait explained that the disconnection campaign was initiated due to a growing trend of customers consuming electricity with meters but failing to pay their bills for extended periods.
In the last fiscal year, the NEA disconnected 42,664 customer lines, recovering Rs 1.04 billion in outstanding dues.
Electricity access in Madhesh Province
Electricity services have reached 99.99 percent of households in Madhesh Province, with ongoing efforts to connect the remaining areas. The NEA also reported that industrial customers constitute 59 percent of the total customer base in Madhesh Province, while domestic customers account for 31 percent. Approximately 10 percent of irrigation in the districts of Madhesh Province has been electrified.
