A sizeable number of street solar lamps in Kathmandu Valley are facing technical problems and many have become dysfunctional due to the lack of timely maintenance by concern authorities.

During an investigation carried out by the Post on Sunday evening, 14 solar lamps were found to be dysfunctional in the 3.7 km-long Maitighar-Tinkune stretch. The lamps had been installed there during the city beatification project carried before the Saarc Summit that took place in Kathmandu last year.

Several solar lamps installed in other thoroughfares of the Valley have also been found to have stopped functioning. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has installed a total of 1,600 solar lamps on major streets and thoroughfares of Kathmandu this year spending $2.5 million under the aid of Asian Development Bank.

Of the 655 solar lamps in Baluwatar, Naxal, Gaurighat, Tribhuvan International Airport and Handigaun, over two dozens require repair. Additionally, it has also

been reported that half a dozen of 200 lights at Pashupatinath temple premises are defunct. Technical failures have also been reported in the lights installed at Soltimode, Tripureshwor and Jamal area.

“We are in touch with the Chinese consultant Hydro China about the issue. They will soon start repairing the lamps,” said Nutan Dev Bhattarai, project manager at the NEA. NEA officials stress that Hydro China, which has been overseeing the technical part of the lamps, has given warranty until February 2016. And while the maintenance of the lamps is a joint responsibility of both the NEA and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), the latter has backed citing that the NEA has not handed over the authority to KMC yet.

Solar panels that provide electricity to the lamps require seven hours of sunlight to fully charge. Once charged, each lamp illuminates for 10 to 12 hours.

People involved in the field say that if timely maintenance is done, the technology could last for upto a decade. They shut down automatically on sensing daylight, and illuminate on sensing low natural light.

According to Santosh Rai, a solar technology engineer at the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, the problem has arisen due to lack of proper maintenance and regular check ups.

“The lamps may not be working due to loose wire connection between the solar panel and the battery,” said Rai. He further added that the battery can go down when the solar panel is covered in dust, which lowers its light-absorption capacity.