The traditional water mill has been used over the ages to grind flour. A traditional ghatta: The wooden ‘turbines’ are fashioned by local carpenters, which drive the grinding stone are used to grind corn, wheat, and other grains for the local agricultural community. According to Nepal’s Center for Rural Technology (CRT), over 25,000 of these water mills (ghattas) are operating throughout remote Nepal.
Traditionally this power is only harnessed for the ghatta's sole purpose, grain grinding. Ghattas are not limited to the Nepali Himalayas, but can be found throughout India, Pakistan, China, and even parts of Turkey. Although the names are different, the technology itself is the same.
Though improved ghattas, turbine mills, and diesel powered mills have been introduced, each option has its own niche. Being the most economic option in the very remote rural areas of Nepal, the traditional paani ghatta is still the most viable option. Some clips from my video documentary “Traditional water mills- the paani ghatta” Produced for Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) with the support from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO
