Since its inception in 1989, the Centre for Rural Technology, Nepal, has focused on improving traditional water mills used for centuries by farming communities in the Himalayas. There are over 25,000 of these mills in Nepal that use the power of running water to grind grain into flour. Unfortunately, they can no longer produce enough energy to meet local demand, resulting in a rise in the number of diesel-powered mills. The water mills are also extremely hard work to operate and millers often work 12 hours a day in order to make a living. Since 2003, CRT/Nepal has intensified work to upgrade the water mills making them more efficient and capable of providing other services such as electricity generation and paddy hulling. To date, over 2,400 water mills have been upgraded increasing the grinding capacity by more than 100% cutting down the waiting time for women users, significantly increasing millers income and stemming the rise in diesel mills. It is estimated that each improved mill can offset diesel, equivalent to 2.4 tonnes/year CO2.
