Water level goes down in Beas, power generation hit

Mahesh Chander Sharma

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Sundernagar, January 24

The depleting water level in the Beas has affected the electricity generation in the 990-MW Dehar powerhouse at Slapper.

Six machines, each of 165-MW capacity, have been installed in the 990-MW Dehar powerhouse, being run by the BBMB. At present, only one machine is producing electricity for six hours a day.

For the construction of Beas Sutlej Link Project, the water in the Beas has been diverted by constructing a dam at Pandoh (18 km upstream Mandi to Baggi through a tunnel) and it further flows from Baggi to Sundernagar through an 11-km open hydel channel.

The water is then stored at the Balancing Reservoir in Sundernagar.

Through the tunnel, it passes to Slapper and after using water at the 990-MW Dehar powerhouse, where six machines each of 165-MW capacity, have been installed, it ultimately flows into the Sutlej.

As the water has been diverted from the Beas to the Sutlej, the project has been named the Beas Sutlej Link Project.

The BBMB authorities said the water level had gone down due to winter. They said the situation would be the same for the next two months.

The water is not sufficient to run even one machine (for running one machine, 2,200 cusecs of water is required).

Sources said the shortage of water was so acute that only one machine out of six could be run for five to six hours that too during the peak hours.

The powerhouse generates maximum electricity between June and August.