Seven hydropower projects along the Likhu River in eastern Nepal have adversely impacted Indigenous and local communities who live in and near the project sites but have received little attention. Likhu River is a hydropower hub and a recent field study conducted by a team from Kathmandu of the area found that the construction of these disruptive hydropower projects were shrouded in secrecy and deceit to Indigenous and local communities.
The hydropower projects on the Likhu River is only a case in point. There are 84 hydropower projects with a total capacity of 1,115 MW being carried out across the country. Similarly, some 217 hydropower projects with 7600 MW capacity have already obtained licenses and are set to start construction. All these hydropower projects are carried out on Indigenous lands where communities are often entirely dependent upon rivers for their livelihoods.