Mir Farhat
Srinagar, Feb 17: As the Valley saw the driest winter in the last three decades, the hydroelectric generation will see a decline in the coming summer and the consumers will have to face power crisis.
The scant snowfall and rainfall in the Kashmir region will impact water level in the river Jhelum as less snow will accumulate at the glaciers on the upper reaches- the main reservoirs of the river.
The river Jhelum is the main source of water to the hydroelectric stations in the Valley.
Officials in the Power Development Corporation said that hydro-electricity generation will decline in the State as water discharge of the Jhelum will recede this summer due to driest ‘winter’.
“Hydro-electric generation will decline in the coming summer due to less water discharge in the river Jhelum. Snowfall in Chilai Kalan would accumulate in glaciers in the upper reaches, which would melt in the river Jhelum in summer,” Iftikhar Kakroo, General Manager PDC told Excelsior.
Kakroo said that they last year the PDC generated a total of 3200 million units of electricity in the state. “But this year, the electric generation capacity will be hit,” he said.
Formed to maintain the power stations and power projects of the State, the PDC has presently over 20 hydro-electric power projects and supplies over 50 percent electricity to the Power Development Department of the State.
The hydro-power generation capacity of the State is around 2457.96 MW, comprising 758 MW in the State sector, 1,680 MW in the central sector and 17.5 MW in the private sector.
With the sever decline in precipitation this winter, the state, already grappling with power shortage, will see prolonged power curtailments to consumers and the State will have to procure more power from other states.
Not only state-owned hydro-power projects will see a depleted power production, but the NHPC run hydel-projects will also be impacted due to the dry weather,
Kakroo said that they have not yet studied the decrease of the water discharge in Jhelum but “we are likely to begin in next month.”
The State’s MET Director Sonam Lotus told Excelsior that this year’s Chilai Kalan was the driest in the last 30 years.
“There was a scant snowfall this winter’s Chilai Kalan. Even upper reaches received less snow and rain. The first two weeks of this month will also see a mixed spell of precipitation and dry days. So, overall this winter will be dry,” Lotus said.
Kakroo said that if the month of February also remains mostly dry, then power production will be severely hit.
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