Hydro-electric Power in India
Hydro-electric power ( or water power) forms an important factor in promoting industrial development. India has seen significant growth of Hydroelectric power at various parts across several states.
In India, the scope for the establishment of hydro-power generation units is indeed very great, for it is a land of many flowing rivers.
The development of hydroelectric schemes will supply power at reasonable cost to industries where coal is scarce and dear.
Factors affecting the development of hydroelectric power
The development of hydroelectric power in any region depends upon physical factors as well as socio-economic factors. Among the physical factors are:
Supply of water by heavy rain, snow melt water and springs,
Relief to allow drop of water, and location of dams to create water reservoirs.
The greater the drop, the more the kinetic energy released by falling water. Among the socio-economic factors are:
Demand for electric power and Non-availability of other power resources, such as coal, mineral oil and atomic power. To consider all these factors for India, we may divide the country into three zones namely,
high potential,
medium potential and
low potential.
Hydroelectric power plants
Perhaps the highest potential for developing electricity lies in the Himalaya with its mighty rivers, with good rain and snow melt supply of water, and the great potential of immense quantities of falling water. But the socio-economic factors have yet to be developed. The industrial level is still very low.
Meanwhile gradually the rivers are being harnessed one by one.
The Bhakra complex utilizing of waters of Satluj and Beas is the first Himalayan hydroelectric power plant, and for that matter the biggest in India.
On Beas there is an old project at Jogindarnagar producing hydroelectric power.
Kashmir is gradually planning to develop hydel power. Much has been done in this line to develop power in Sindh valley. Investigation is going in Sonamarg, Wangat and Gangabal to produce hydro power. Another project under active investigation is at Salal on the Chenab near Riasi.
Himachal Pradesh is gradually realizing the need to harness its hydel power going to waste and many schemes are being investigated. Uttar Pradesh after the Punjab is rapidly pushing up its production of power. Among the old projects are the Ganga canal Grid system. Power is also to be developed at Kalagarh on river Ramganga.
A grand scheme to develop power from the Bhagirathi near Tehri is under active consideration. Power is also being produced from Rihand in the plateau.
In Bihar there are two small projects for power on the Gandak at Balmikinagar and Kosi near Hanumannagar.
As the big rivers mainly lie in Nepal, India has also built a small power station of Trisuli for the benefit of Nepal. Nepal has ideal physical conditions to develop hydroelectric power. If produced it could be sold to northern India, perhaps the world’s best hydel site is in western Nepal on river Karnali, a main tributary of Ghagra.
In Darjeeling and Sikkim the river Tista could very well produce a huge amount of hydro power, but here only a very small power station at Jaldhaka produces some power.
In Assam and Arunachal Pradesh the power of falling water in the Himalaya has not at all been tapped, though the Brahmaputra alone could produce power for the needs of all the eastern states.
The Meghalaya plateau with its very heavy rain-full and steep scarps has a very rich potential. Here, there is a small hydel electric project at Umtru.
In Manipur the Loktak scheme envisages the capacity of 105 MW of power.
The second high potential zone for producing hydel power in India is one the western slopes and crests of Western Ghat. Here the rainfall is high and the scarp of the Ghat provides a good fall.
Near Mumbai there is much consumption of electric power for domestic uses, industries and railway traction. There are three hydel stations here at Bhivpuri, Khopoli and Bhira. As need increased in Mumbai-Pune region, power was developed by river Koyna which was dammed. The water was diverted by a tunnel to the coast side, where a power project has been developed.
In Kerala, power from Western Ghat was first developed at Pallivasal and then at Sabarigiri. More power will be produced by the Iddiki hydroelectric project in the Periyar basin.
In Mysore there is a major hydel project near the famous Jog Falls on the river Saravati. The heavy rainfall and the fall over the scarp are ideal for producing power. The power is used up in the highly industrialized State.
The Nilgiri hills is another area of high potential one of the oldest hydel station being located here at Sivasamudram water falls on the river Kaveri in Mysore. On another tributary of Kaveri, hydro electric is produced at a big drop of nearly 1000 meters in Pykara River. Further down on the Kaveri in Tamilnadu, hydel power is produced at Mattur, which also gives water for irrigation.
