Five Mohallas in Umba village received electricity connection.The village which is 60 KM away from district headquarter Kargil, is situated in toughest terrain at 13,000 thousand feet height and remains cut off for five months during winters. Umba village had no electricity till today.
Under the guidance of Kargil Renewable Energy Development Authority (KREDA), the Global Himalayan Expedition (GHE) in partnership with the CSR project of Royal Enfield has installed a 17.5kW Solar Electricity system in Umba.
Daring the freezing minus 25 degrees temperatures, a team of 4 GHE engineers led by Shakir Hussain worked round the clock to set up 103 Solar Grids in a record time of just Five days. Mr. Dorjey from GHE said that the system covers Massar Yuljuk, Malikbar Thama, Mailkbar Skilma, Shilabar and Madd hamlets in Umba village and serve with a total of 97 Households and 7 Masjids with more than 500 LED Lights, along with street lighting for the community.
He said that each solar grid was provided with a battery back-up that will enable 4 days of continuous grid running even in cloudy conditions. Panch Malikbar, Mohammad Ali expressing the joy said that the year 2020 ending the ages of darkness and despair of COVID pandemic. GHE has come up with an innovative Solar Micro Grid solution using energy efficient LED lights and DC appliances that has changed the electrification scenario in the region. Over 100 remote villages, monasteries and hamlets of Leh, Kargil and Zanskar have been provided electricity in the last 5 years by GHE.
Paras Loomba, Founder GHE lauded the support by Royal Enfield to bring sustainability and holistic development for the Himalayan communities through multiple interventions around clean energy, education, livelihood and waste management. Gaurav Sharma, CSR, Eicher Group Foundation said, “The vision of the Foundation is to preserve the fragile ecosystem of Ladakh and create a better future for the local population. Our partnership with GHE has been successful in ensuring that the impact is sustained and the infrastructure that we set up is owned and maintained by the local community.”
KREDA Director Kacho Ahmed Khan said, “We really value our partnership with GHE to serve the villages that are located in the remote far flung areas and where conventional grid based electricity is not possible. The team at GHE have come up with an innovative Solar Micro Grid solution that is easier to install, maintain and break the geographical barrier to bring electricity to the villages”. The need of the hour for technology is to bridge the gap between the developed and the developing world, so that we can create a future where everyone has access to equitable growth.
