Receding water level in Beas affects power generation

Mahesh Chander Sharma

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Sundernagar, January 22

The receding water level in the Beas river has hit the working of the 990 mw Dehar powerhouse at Slapper in Mandi district.

The power generation has gone down as the water drawn from Pandoh Dam is not adequate to run the six machines round the clock.

The Bhakra Beas Management Board authorities said the snow had reduced the water level and the situation would remain the same in the next two months.

The inflow of water is 1,600 to 1,650 cusecs whereas during the summer, it is around 8,500 cusecs.

For the construction of the Beas-Sutlej link project, the water of the Beas river has been diverted from Pandoh Dam to Baggi through a tunnel. It flows from Baggi to Sundernagar and is stored at the Balancing Reservoir in Sundernagar. The water then passes through a tunnel to Slapper and after being used in the Dehar powerhouse, where six machines have been installed, it flows into the Sutlej river.

Sources in the Bhakra Beas Management Boardsaid one machine generated power from 5.30 am to 9 am, adding that in the evening, two or three machines were pressed into service.

As per the BBMB, the powerhouse produces maximum electricity between June and August. From November, the production goes down and things are back to normal by the end of March.