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the flow

INDIA-INDONESIA PARTNERSHIP:  PICO HYDRO DEVELOPMENT IN MEGHALAYA

1/16/2023

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Meghalaya is one of India’s eight states making up the country's rich bio- and ethnically-diverse northeastern region.  Since 2013 HPNET members have worked to advance community-scale hydro in Meghalaya for last-mile energy access:

  • In 2013, International Rivers and the Nagaland Empowerment of People thru EnergyDevelopment (NEPeD) hosted a micro hydro exchange event focusing on NE India, which connected HPNET to the Meghalaya Basin Development Agency (MBDA).
  • In 2015, HPNET enabled India practitioners to attend HPNET’s Members Gathering held in Indonesia at the Hydropower Competence Center (HYCOM), connecting them to Pt entec Indonesia.
  • In 2016, MBDA and HPNET held a regional exchange in Meghalaya, with VillageRES and PT entec Indonesia as co-facilitators.
  • In mid-2019, International Rivers and partners, including HPNET, hosted a tri-country dialogue in Meghalaya, with CSOs and local practitioners from Nepal, Myanmar, and India.
  • In late 2019, HPNET supported a reconnaissance field visit to understand field-based challenges to pico hydro scale up in NE India.
  • In 2021, HPNET and International Rivers held a three-part virtual exchange focusing on  Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Salween (GBMS) Rivers, providing regional inspiration from across S/SE Asia and customized capacity building.  
  • The 2021 event included a special keynote by Mr. Augustus Suting, Special Officer at MBDA.
In between each of these milestones have been strategy dialogue among members. As such, when MBDA released a tender to accelerate pico hydro for rural electrification, HPNET members already had working relationships and a keen understanding of challenges and key solutions to leverage the opportunity.
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Below Mr. Ramasubramanian Vaidhyanathan (“Rams”), who has long been committed to the sub-region, provides a brief and exciting update on the most recent technical developments brought forth by a partnership between HPNET members VillageRES and Pt entec Indonesia.

To date an estimated 1000 villages remain unelectrified in the northeastern state of Meghalaya in India, out of approximately 6000 villages.  In 2022, MBDA identified about 200+ micro hydro sites for implementation located throughout the state in communities of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo ethnic tribes.  The identified potential for most of the sites was 3 kW.  A few had a much higher potential but for this tender, projects were limited to 5 kW.

VillageRES (Village Renewable Energy Systems India Private limited) participated in the tender in partnership with EMSYS Electronics Private limited, a solar energy company based in Bangalore. The consortium was awarded 45 sites located throughout Meghalaya.   
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VillageRES entered into a manufacturing license agreement with PT entec Indonesia to manufacture their new cross flow turbine design with 150mm diameter runners. The turbine is called CFT 150/21.

The fabrication began in July 2022.  Pt entec Director, Mr. Gerhard Fischer, and the team helped us a lot with fabricating the first few pieces – updating drawings, dimensions, a few design corrections, etc. We fabricated the units in the south Indian industrial hub of Coimbatore, in the state of Tamil Nadu. 
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We are very pleased with the results: the turbines have come out very well made and were cost effective to fabricate. We also tested a few of the turbines at a site in Meghalaya and the performance was fantastic. We will be assessing the performance of this model more thoroughly once all the units are installed.
During the installation process, we found that many of the sites were situated right next to a waterfall and the penstock was installed at nearly a 90 degree angle without any proper support. While it was logical and easier to select sites that had an obvious sufficient head, other aspects, such as the design of the intake structure, penstock route, and penstock support appeared to have been completely overlooked. We realised that the on-site assessment methodology that we utilize in training has to be much more detailed and maybe periodically conducted to continue to build the capacity of the sector’s local personnel. Unless this is carried out, the project sites are prone to failure within a year or two of the installation.

This guest blog post was written by Mr. Ramasubramanian Vaidhyanathan (“Rams”), Director of VillageRES and HPNET Board of Representative Member for India.  
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He can be reached at ​​rams@villageres.com. 
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DOBRIYAL BROTHERS SHARES A SNAPSHOT OF COMMUNITY PRIDE

5/20/2022

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HPNET Member, thirty-five year old Aman Dobriyaal, based in the foothills of the Himalayas in India, taught himself how to manufacture pico hydro Crossflow turbines over a decade ago. Since then Aman has built and helped to install over 700 units for households and communities in remote corners of India, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.  

His local enterprise Dobriyal Brothers recently established a turbine manufacturing center, soon to include a pico hydro testing facility.  Aman seeks to advance their work and contribute experiences by engaging with HPNET’s SEEED Accelerator.  

Among the units he supplied this quarter is a 3kW system to electrify an Indigenous community near Rayagada, Chitragrah, supported by the local government.  Aman visited the site for a feasibility assessment and then guided the team remotely to install and test the system.  

He received this video of jubilee, which exemplifies the Indigenous pride that comes with localized approaches to community-scale hydro.

Check out the video!
For more information contact Aman Dobriyaal at dobriyalbrothers1986@gmail.com and at +91 95570 79907 by phone or WhatsApp.
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PARTNERSHIPS:  MEGHALAYA AND NAGALAND, INDIA

4/25/2022

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The Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) in the northeastern Indian state of Meghalaya has launched a pico hydro program, which includes demonstration sites in 11 districtures and the electrification of 300+ communities.

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The Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD), an HPNET member based in the state of Nagaland, also in northeast India, has thus far provided 51 NEPeD pico hydro hydrogers for the initiative.  NEPeD is also providing operation and maintenance capacity building for 102 village-based persons (2 persons from each village).  Each unit will generate up to 3 kW for lighting and small appliances.

Since being established in 2007, NEPeD has been designing and manufacturing pico and micro hydro hydrogers in Dimapur, Nagaland, along with providing all onsite services, including installation, training, and productive end use integration. You can read more about NEPeD’s approach in our member profile here.
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Map of Northeast India showing Meghalaya in brown and Nagaland in blue. Source: www.mapsofindia.com.
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MEMBER PROFILE: NEPED HYDROGERS IN NE INDIA

10/1/2020

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We are glad to have HPNET member Mr. Takum Chang from the Nagaland Empowerment of People Through Energy Development (NEPeD) share about NEPeD’s pico hydro approach.

PictureCredit: http://surveying-mapping-gis.blogspot.com/
Introduction

Nagaland is one of the seven sister states of northeast India.  The region is rich in biodiversity and natural resources.  There are many villages in Nagaland that have access to small rivers and streams.  These rivers have enough hydro power potential to meet the electricity demand of the entire state. 

Since 2007, NEPeD’s mission has been to educate and empower people to help maintain biodiversity and vital ecosystem services, while simultaneously ensuring equitable access to adequate clean energy supply. 

NEPeD manufacturers and installs pico hydro systems called Hydrogers, a term coined by NEPeD, joining the words hydro and generator.  It refers to the type of pico hydro system developed by NEPeD. 

Clean and green energy through NEPeD’s efforts, however small, could contribute to the mitigation of global climate change concerns in the Eastern Himalayan region as it de-couples the dependence on traditional fossil fuels.

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Remote village in the Sanglekong mountain range, in Tuensang District of Nagaland. Credit: NEPeD
Picture“Made-in-Nagaland” Hydroger for pico hydro developed by NEPeD. Credit: NEPeD
Local Technology Development

The most interesting aspect about Hydroger Systems is that they are not imported from elsewhere but are indigenously manufactured in Nagaland itself.  NEPeD established the Centre of Excellence for Renewable Energy Studies (CERES) to manufacture hydro technology locally, making it available easily in the region.  NEPeD, in collaboration with the Nagaland Tool Room and Training Centre (NTTC), Dimapur, ventured into the indigenization of the Hydroger system.  The first funding towards mass production of Hydroger was supported by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) under Rural Innovation Fund (RIF). 
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The Hydroger model manufactured in CERES has been successfully tested and certified at the Alternate Hydro Energy Centre (AHEC) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee.  CERES is the only known centre to solely focus on mass production of Hydroger technology.   CERES is also the hub of knowledge dissemination.  Many trainings were provided to small hydro engineers, technicians and practitioners in the region.  NEPeD is also supporting a private entrepreneur under its entrepreneurship development programme for research and development of the Electronic Load Controller (ELC).

Local Capacity Building

To maintain the Hydroger Project’s sustainability and continuity of efforts in the long run, it is key to have a cadre of skilled rural engineers on-site.  NEPeD has trained more than 50 engineers to oversee and manage the sites’ operation.  NEPeD has also prepared them to help up-scale the Hydroger installation in the future. They will provide hands-on support, ranging from site selection, maintenance, to installation of higher capacity modules. Employing rural engineers and technicians will not only help to generate income but also to grow the rural economy.
Community members installing the penstock. Credit: NEPeD
Community members working on the distribution line. Credit: NEPeD
PictureCommunity training on pico hydro and watershed management. Credit: NEPeD
Socio-Environmental Governance

There are many dimensions to the Hydroger Project.  Not only does it help to address basic electricity needs of people living in the villages, but it also has impacts on the environment, social and economic sectors.  Most of the NEPeD’s Hydroger installations are owned and managed by the communities.  Communities with Hydroger systems undergo capacity building and conservation of environmental ideas is deeply ingrained as part of this training. Each project site is also capacitated and facilitated to evolve their own revenue model.

Hydroger being a clean and alternative source of renewable energy has made an impact through energy delivery.  NEPeD while introducing and promoting this technology, has also encouraged the villagers to maintain the upland catchment areas to ensure a sustainable supply of water. 
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Targeted Impact

Setting up of Hydroger projects have been done following a model that is holistic and integrated.  It is designed to be easily replicated.  The common sectoral impacts as registered by the existing Hydroger Project sites are as listed below. 

Social
- Community ownership
- Revitalized social dynamics-greater community bonding and interaction
- Health sanitation related impacts
- Empowerment and involvement of women in the decision-making process

Economic
- Source of revenue generation for the community
- Employment of individuals
- Increased man hours industries such as handicrafts

Environment
- Generation of clean sustainable energy
- Decreased dependence on fossil fuels
- Spreading/ creating awareness on environmental fronts
- Community commitments to conserve and protect catchment areas and biodiversity
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Replication across NE India

The benefits have also been appraised by the neighbouring States that want to replicate this model.  The low cost, light weight, accessible operation and versatile utility of the Hydroger systems have allowed widespread adoption.  Besides Nagaland, the Hydroger is used in Meghalaya, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir.   NEPeD has has installed over 50 units across northeast India, mostly in Nagaland.  Another 50+ units will be installed in partnership with the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority, where NEPeD will also train technicians in each village to install, manage, and troubleshoot.  There has also been an interest to develop Hydrogers commercially.
Next Phase Vision

The Hydroger Project has successfully evolved into a model for a sustainable and community-owned electricity generation in rural areas.  It is improving their quality of life, improving their livelihoods, creating unprecedented awareness, community participation, and most importantly developing governance at a decentralized level. 

The initiative is based on the realization that the availability of energy is vital for sustainable development and poverty reduction efforts.  Energy affects various aspects of development - social, economic, and environmental - including livelihoods, access to water, agricultural productivity, health, population levels, education, and gender-related issues.  NEPED also seeks to further develop state level capacity to manage the environment and natural resources; integrate environmental and energy dimensions into poverty reduction strategies and state level development frameworks; and strengthen the role of communities and of women in promoting sustainable development.

At the same time, NEPED understands that sustainable energy security initiatives have multiple dimensions.  By focusing on micro/mini hydropower as a reliable renewable source for providing energy security in a difficult terrain where grid connectivity is available erratically, NEPED also intends to create replicable models for watersheds in Nagaland, other North-eastern states, and the Himalayan sub-region.
PictureHydro resource in eastern Nagaland. Credit: NEPeD
Recommendations

1.  Transition from pico to micro hydro
Over the years, the energy demand of rural communities has increased.  They require reliable, uninterrupted, and sufficient energy supply.  They require higher capacity than the current 3kW Hydrogers produce.  Although some villages have access to the central grid, electricity from the Hydroger is more cost effective then the central grid.  Therefore communities have been demanding Hydrogers of higher capacity.  Farmers have expressed the need for energy to add value to their agricultural processing.  NEPeD will strive to leverage the resources for installing higher capacity hydro power systems and hopes to achieve its objective to integrate the environmental and energy dimensions into rural economic development strategies.  NEPeD’s aim to transition from pico to micro hydro systems is a natural progression given the large energy demand-supply gap in Nagaland.
  

2.  Access to subsidy and credit
For NEPeD and also for many other small hydro practitioners in North East India, the only source of funding is the Ministry under Government of India (GOI).  However, most of the funding from the Ministry must go through its state-level nodal agencies.  It is not easy for other departments or practitioners to access funding from the Ministry.  To address this challenge, special consideration or arrangement of funding processes for other departments and practitioners will accelerate prospects of small hydro systems.  Private practitioners and implementers have to be encouraged, especially in Nagaland, to pick up the pace for development of small hydro in the state.  Credit facilities from banks and other financial institutions could be another option for the communities to get resources for setting up small hydro systems of capacity as per their total energy requirement and also meeting the energy requirement for productive use.

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EARTH VOICES: FROM TAT GONE, MYANMAR

7/17/2020

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Our blog series Earth Voices sheds light on the connections between community-scale hydropower, indigenous-led conservation and sustainable development. Each edition highlights a different community, aiming to highlight that which makes each unique, while emphasizing a common thread – a worldview in which environmental sustainability is no new concept, but rather a reality which has underpinned community well-being and resilience for millennia. Earth Voices explores how community-scale hydropower reinforces environmental traditions by incentivizing watershed strengthening, which, in turn, enables reliable and sustainable power supply.
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Cattle grazing in the picturesque Danu region of the Shan Highlands. Credit: Kyi Phyo Wai.
This year, we embarked upon the “UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration” -- a designation that reflects a dawning realization that nature-based solutions are critical to achieving a sustainable future. Needless to say, it’s been a challenging start thus far. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in agenda setting, resource flows, and action on conservation and climate. Out of necessity, the world’s attention has turned to the immediate concerns of the global health and economic crisis. Yet, the urgency of the climate emergency continues to escalate, and ecosystem restoration remains imperative to planetary health and social-ecological resilience. In fact, in addition to combating climate change, forest conservation and restoration can prevent the emergence of new zoonotic diseases and future pandemics.

With all this in mind, it’s evermore critical to highlight local communities and indigenous peoples who have been championing conservation and regenerative solutions for millennia. While political leaders grapple with COVID-19 recovery efforts, and international actors face funding and travel restrictions, local communities continue to push forward nature-based solutions. 

For this 3rd edition of our Earth Voices feature series, we bring you one such example from the Danu region of Shan State, Myanmar. This edition shines a light on the village of Tat Gone, where local change-makers harness the interconnected benefits of watershed restoration and community-scale hydropower. Read on, to learn how eco-restoration supports Tat Gone’s reliable power supply and cultural resilience, and to gain a glimpse into the vision and journey of  an inspiring community mobilizer.

Myanmar’s locally-grown off-grid energy sector

Ethnic conflict and political strife have affected Myanmar for many decades, and the country  only recently opened up after a half-century of Military rule. This context has posed various challenges for Myanmar’s energy sector. Decentralization has been ineffective in practice, meaning that region and state governments have little or no control over energy policies, plans and budgets. Additionally, areas controlled by armed groups are present in many regions and sometimes have their own infrastructure. Corruption and foreign export of generated energy further complicate matters and impede progress within the sector. [Hivos Myanmar 2019]

Despite these challenges and conflicts, Myanmar has a long history of locally developed, small-scale renewable energy technology, which has proven its efficacy over the past 30 years. To date, more than 6,000 small-scale hydro systems and 10,000 biomass gasifiers have been implemented by local developers, without donor support, foreign technology or enabling policy. Solar power has also emerged in more recent years, supporting agricultural end uses, with significant benefits for rural farmers across the country. These clean, low-cost energy solutions are attributed to a thriving community of grassroots entrepreneurs, whose resourcefulness has brought transformative impacts to thousands of rural communities. 
This video provides a glimpse of Myanmar’s indigenous community hydro sector, featuring the Tat Gone pico hydro systems and 3 other community-scale hydro systems in Shan State. 
The Danu region and people

Tat Gone village is located in the Ywangan Township of the Danu Self-Administered Zone, in the picturesque Shan Highlands. The region is home to the Danu people, a government-recognized ethnic group in Myanmar, who have a long history in Southern Shan State. The Danu people have their own language and practice Theravada Buddhism. Their unique culture is hinted at in the history of the term ‘Danu’ itself, which links back to the legend of Prince Kummabhaya, whose bow and arrow rescued seven princesses trapped in the caves by a giant spider. 
In addition to being rich in culture, the Danu region is rich in environmental resources and fertile  land. A productive and profitable agriculture sector provides a key source of income, supporting local livelihoods in Danu communities. International organizations such as USAID, Winrock International and GIZ have invested extensively in agri value chains in the area, particularly in tea-leaf and coffee production. Today, Danu coffee is sold in Seattle and elsewhere around the world.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, local producers have seen a significant drop in the selling price of tea-leaf and other crops, such as fruits. This has negatively impacted the local economy, however Danu communities such as Tat Gone are less severely impacted than others, in that they aren’t as dependent on external markets.
Rice paddy in Pindaya, Danu SAZ. Credit: K. Phyo.
Green paddy nursery and strawberry field in Pindaya, Danu SAZ. Credit: K. Phyo.
Environment, conflict and resistance
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The region’s fertile land has also supported poppy plantations – the plant from which opium derives – fueling long-standing conflicts. Poppy plantations existed in the Danu region until the late 1960s to early 1970s, at which point a UNDP initiative substituted the plantations with tea-leaf growing. The Danu townships of Pindaya and Ywangan have since eradicated poppy growing, however it persists in other areas within Shan State, such as Lawksawk. Some armed ethnic groups still exist in these areas and conflicts between the military and community groups persist in this ‘triangle’ linking eastern, southern and northern Shan.

That said, the Danu people strive to maintain peace in the region. Residents have heard that the military has plans to establish a base camp in a watershed area in the Danu region, but the local  communities don’t accept military entering the area.

Other challenges also persist in the Danu region, stemming from natural resources. For instance, the area has attracted mining and widespread logging, with devastating consequences for local communities and ecosystems. Mining has negatively impacted watershed ecosystems, while deforestation has resulted in frequent landslides and increasing water scarcity in summer months. However, local communities continue to resist natural resource exploitation on their lands. For instance, steadfast local resistance prevented a mining company from establishing itself in Mya Sa Ti – a Danu village with an important watershed, which provides drinking water to 20 nearby villages. Across the region, the Danu people continue to work to build back what has been lost, applying indigenous knowledge, innovation and determination to restore and conserve local ecosystems.
Landslide resulting from deforestation. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).
Deforestation has affected much of the Danu region. Credit: Kyi Phyo Wai.
Eco-restoration, land stewardship and hydropower

In 2000, the government mandated a Forest Conservation Department to lead conservation efforts in the area. However, local communities assert that the department is corrupted by profit motives and is ineffective, with limited human resources. According to Danu conservation champion, U Kyaw Lwin, “only bamboo remains in the government’s forest conservation area”; this is juxtaposed against thriving forest ecosystems that are stewarded by local communities, as per traditional knowledge.

It is the Danu people themselves who continue to conserve the primary forests, as they have always done, and who endeavor to restore ecosystems that have been degraded by logging and extractive industries. Danu communities carry an intricate understanding of local ecological systems, and the environment is very much intertwined with their culture and beliefs. In one Danu area, there are, in fact, plans in the works for a “forest conservation festival”, carrying religious significance, connected with Buddha’s teachings around living in harmony with nature.

The establishment of pico and micro hydropower has further strengthened pre-existing environmental stewardship practices among the Danu people. Small-scale hydro systems have been developed in at least 15 Danu villages, bringing extra incentive to protect the forest, since watersheds provide the perennial source of their electricity. As such, community-scale hydro has become intertwined with reforestation and conservation efforts across the region. 
Local animal populations benefit from community-led resource management. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).
50 kW micro hydro system in Mying, Danu SAZ. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).
People-powered pico hydro

Tat Gone village provides a bottom-up example of an integrated approach to forest conservation and small-scale hydropower – in this case, largely attributed to the vision of one dedicated community mobilizer.  

After seeing the wide-reaching benefits brought by community-scale hydro in other villages, U Kyaw Lwin was inspired to bring energy access to his own community through similar means. He learned the required technical skills from experienced local energy entrepreneurs, which he put to use in Tat Gone, toward a vision of ecologically sustainable and reliable energy provision. 

Working together with other community members, U Kyaw Lwin led the installation of seven  pico hydro systems in Tat Gone between 2000 and 2015. Six systems are currently in use, ranging from 1.5-5 kW capacity per system, with a total capacity of 17 kW. Two of the six  systems are in the same location but use different transmission/distribution lines. While all of these projects are pico hydro projects, U Kyaw Lwin has also supported the development of a cluster of four community-owned micro hydro projects in the same sub-region. 

​Today, approximately 150 households are connected to the carefully planned pico hydro systems, out of the 167 households that make up Tat Gone village. Solar home systems provide lighting for some of the other households, and some families use both pico hydro and solar electricity. Additionally, the local school, temple and monastery are provided with free electricity from the pico hydro systems.
Bathing spot connected with Tat Gone pico hydro. Credit: Kyi Phyo Wai.
U Kyaw Lwin repairing pico hydro turbine. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).
Current and future benefits

The Tat Gone pico hydro systems have brought multifold benefits for community development. For instance, lighting enables students to study at night and extends the hours at which classes can be taught, with known benefits for learning outcomes. Moreover, the ability to power cell phones, televisions and radios provides access to vital information and communication channels – the importance of which is increasingly evident, as the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold.  Soon Tat Gone will also trial electric cooking options, to reduce deforestation linked with  collection of fuelwood.

Although the government's central grid has reached nearby towns, Tat Gone village has not received the central grid. The village would have to raise funds for the final transmission and distribution lines. In addition, there is little certainty about the reliability of the central grid. As such, the pico hydro continues to remain a vital community asset, providing multiple benefits to each household at affordable cost.

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Integrating conservation and energy access
The Tat Gone community has seen the direct impact of deforestation on the river, with water scarcity noticeably worsening from one summer to the next. U Kyaw Lwin saw the critical need to restore the watershed ecosystem, to preserve Tat Gone’s water source – not only for drinking water, food security, and irrigation, but also to safeguard the community’s electricity supply. With a keen understanding of the linkages between the forest watershed, water and energy, U Kyaw Lwin mobilized his community to leverage the interconnected benefits of pico hydropower and ecosystem restoration.

​In the video linked above (People Power in Myanmar), Tat Gone elder, Daw Eain Myar, observes how deforestation was gradually drying up the river; the community therefore plants trees and protects the watershed ecosystem, in order to ensure consistent and sufficient water levels and flow rates, for reliable energy access. ​
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U Kyaw Lwin inspecting pico hydro channel in Tat Gone. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).
U Kyaw Lwin also explains how the community cultivates and consumes forest products in a sustainable way. For instance, the community has a collectively agreed upon protocol for timber extraction, wherein two trees must be replanted for every one tree that’s cut down. 
“Without water, there is not light – we cannot produce electricity. Only if we conserve the forest, we can retain water. So we really need to conserve our forest.” – U Kyaw Lwin
While U Kyaw Lwin certainly stands out as an inspiring conservation and micro hydro advocate, his efforts are not carried out in isolation, nor are the actions of his community. Danu communities all across the region have self-mobilized to safeguard their natural resources, and collaborate on large-scale, organized resource mapping and participatory research initiatives. For instance, in 2018, the Mekong Energy and Ecology Network (MEENet) held a gathering in Tat Gone, as part of a participatory research project, called the "Community-Owned Integrated Pan Long River Mountain Watershed Management". Many villages came together to collaborate on a Community Sustainable Environmental Assessment, mapping the forest, water and energy resources of the upper, middle and downstream communities along the Pan Long River. The communities continue to carry out environmental monitoring and work together to sustainably steward their ancestral lands in the face of present-day challenges. 
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Community Sustainable Environmental Assessment workshop in Tat Gone. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).
Survey of village micro-hydro in Tat Gone, Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).
Map from Community Sustainable Environmental Assessment workshop in Tat Gone. Credit: MEE Net (Myanmar Team).
PictureBamboo pico hydro turbine. Credit: A. Khomsah et al. 2019.
Opportunities for locally-rooted, pro-environment pico hydropower

Among small-scale hydropower technologies, pico hydro (< 5 kW) tends to receive less attention and support, particularly as the cost of solar home lighting systems becomes competitive. Yet, we need only look at an example like Tat Gone to see the vast potential that pico hydro presents as a local, low-cost, high-impact solution.

A key advantage of pico hydropower is its low cost to sustain, long-term. Up-front costs are minimal, with little civil construction required, and there are no or few recurring costs, since there are no batteries to replace, nor complex technology. Moreover, pico hydro is easy to design, install and maintain, and doesn’t require formal education or training. Nearly all of the components can be fabricated or procured locally. When repairs are required, the simplicity of the system allows the community to be creative in using locally available material to rehabilitate the system. 

In addition to its affordability, pico hydro is often favoured by rural practitioners due to its complementarity with environmental values and priorities. When integrated with watershed strengthening, pico hydro brings intersectional benefits for social-ecological well-being and resilience. In Myanmar and other countries across the region, we have seen indigenous practitioners consistently prioritize healthy watersheds, ensuring reliable energy supply, as well as sustainable community development.

Moreover, with appropriate load management, pico hydro systems can power more than household lighting loads.  They can be used to power village-scale grain mills and other small machines to reduce physical drudgery and set up local enterprise.

Examples of successful, locally developed pico hydro can be seen all over the world. For instance, in addition to Myanmar, pico hydro also has had a long history in Laos, Vietnam, and India,. There continue to be unelectrified regions with untapped pico hydro potential.  With support from WISIONS, HPNET members have collaborated through knowledge exchange activities, to continue advancing pico hydro throughout South and Southeast Asia.

Moving forward

As we navigate a path toward sustainable development and environmental resilience, it is clear that much can be learned from pico hydro, and the locally-rooted practitioners who have championed it across the global South. Moving forward into the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, let us uplift, and learn from, indigenous communities like Tat Gone, that are advancing nature-based solutions for the benefit of their people and our collective future.

​Stay tuned for the Burmese translation of this article, coming soon!

Composed by Lara Powell, HPNET Communications Coordinator
With content from: 
U Kyaw Lwin, Pico Hydro and Reforestation Practitioner of Danu
U Kyi Phyo Wai, Founder of Foundation for Renewable Energy and Ecology (FREE)
Dipti Vaghela, HPNET Manager
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