Watermills: NGO shows the way in hill states

After J&K, the device is sought after in Arunachal, Manipur and Nagaland

In the era of big dams like the Tehri, the magic of watermills still lives on. After lighting up the border villages in Jammu & Kashmir, watermills, locally known as gharats, which had been in use in mountain regions since time immemorial, are now becoming the most sought after devices in the far flung areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland, thanks to Himalayan Environmental Studies & Conservation Organisation or HESCO, a Dehra Dun-based NGO.

The watermill, an eco-friendly device, can harness waterpower to grind wheat and generate 2 to 5 KW of power. Currently, there are 200,000 watermills in the Himalayan region. According to an estimate prepared by HESCO, watermills can generate 2,500 MW of power in the Himalayan region.

Some of the people who upgraded watermills with the help of the technology provided by HESCO supply power to nearby houses at some places.

HESCO's founder, Anil P Joshi, who is popularly known as the 'hill-man', has devised a very simple, inexpensive and environment-friendly technology kit that can upgrade these watermills to micro-hydel project to produce electricity.

A watermill works on the same principle as that of a hydroelectric power plant. Water from a stream is tapped and routed through a chute. There is a wheel at the centre. Flat blades or turbines are fixed at the wheel. The water falls from a certain height and forces the wheel to rotate.

"This system has worked harmoniously with nature and man for thousands of years and lies abundantly dotted across the Himalayas," says Joshi.

HESCO is also running a training centre at its office at Shuklapur area of Dehra Dun. Already, people from Jammu & Kashmir, Arun-achal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have taken training in watermills.

HESCO in a joint venture with the Indian Army installed nearly 600-800 watermills in the border villages of Jammu & Kashmir, most of them badly hit by the turmoil in the state. Villages in areas like Kupwara, Baramulla, Kargil, Batalik, Dras, Poonch and Rajouri had been benefited by the watermill campaign, Joshi said.

Last year, HESCO entered Manipur and installed its first watermill in Haipe village. "This watermill is working very well," Joshi said. At least 20 watermills have been installed in the North-East in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

Taking a cue from Joshi, the Uttarakhand government has also decided to upgrade these innovative devices.

The government would develop 10 model watermills as multi-purpose resource centres to enhance the living standards of rural communities as well as to decrease forest degradation, top officials of Uttarankhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA), the implementing agency of the project, said.

In this regard, the government has roped in the Asian Development Bank to procure a soft loan of $250,000 for this project.

After establishing model watermills, which are presently producing 2-3 KW of electricity, the government would upgrade them up to a 6-KW level and give them the status of cott-age industries.

UREDA would also set up an association of watermillers in all the 13 districts of the state as well a state-level federation. A survey would also be undertaken to enlist all watermill owners and prepare a directory in this regard. The government would also provide special training to 100 watermill technicians for the operation and maintenance purposes.