Upgrading traditional watermills
energy & rural technology program officer, iird
Kinnaur district, himachal pradesh, india
Kinnaur is a mountainous region of the Himalayas with many streams flowing downhill, and for centuries people here have harnessed this hydropower to run small watermills, called "gharats," to grind grain into flour. In other regions of the Himalayas, such as in Uttarakhand, India and in Nepal, organizations have upgraded the traditional gharats to generate electricity by attaching a motorcycle alternator to the mechanism. I explored the feasibility of this technology for the communities in Sangla Valley.
In order to understand the traditional technology and how it is used, I evaluated the gharat technology in use in the villages and observed use of the watermills. To understand the needs and challenges of these communities, I led field visits to conduct participatory mapping of streams and watermills, ran an energy needs assessment, held focus group discussions, and executed a survey with the residents of the villages.
It became clear that the gharats in these villages, though numerous, would not be able to generate enough electricity to power everyone's home. Additionally, a major hydropower plant was under construction nearby, so electricity would soon become more reliable. Instead, we realized that upgrading the gharats to both produce flour more efficiently and generate a small amount of electricity could create an income-generating activity for women's self-help groups (which are popular in India). We planned to start a women's bakery cooperative using the more efficient mills.
