Bhubaneswar: Though several districts in Odisha have received heavy rains due to a low pressure over Bay of Bengal, major dams in the state are witnessing low water levels in comparison to their water storing capacity.
There is every possibility that the low water level in dams will affect the production of hydroelectricity in the coming days, sources said. It is learnt that all major dams in Odisha except Hirakud dam do not have adequate water to meet the hydroelectricity production requirements.
The water level in Hirakud was 629.28 ft Tuesday against its maximum storage capacity of 630 ft. The water level in Balimela dam was pegged at 1,476 ft against its storage capacity of 1,518 ft.
Similarly, the water level in Rengali dam was measured at 122 metre against its maximum capacity of 124 metre. According to sources, the depth of water in Upper Kolab dam was measured at 850 metre against its storing capacity of up to 858 metre.
At present, the Upper Indravati dam has 632 ft of water against its capacity of 643 ft. Similarly, the water level in Machhkund dam was measured at 2,726 ft Tuesday while the dam can hold water up to 2,750 ft.
“Most of the dams in Odisha are now witnessing up to 25 per cent less water storage than their normal capacity. The south-west monsoon will leave the state within a few days. There is very low possibility of improvement in the water level in these dams. So, the production of hydroelectricity may get affected in the coming days,” said a source familiar with the issue.
According to sources, the average electricity demand in Odisha hovers around 4,500 MW while the state usually produces 2,063 MW of hydroelectricity from its dams.
As per the available data, the state produces 275 MW electricity from Hirakud at Burla, 600 MW from Indravati, 510 from Balimela, 300 MW from Rengali, 320 from Upper Kolab and 36 MW from Machhkund.
“Many places in the state are witnessing outage during the monsoon. The shortage of electricity may aggravate during summer,” added the source. There were reports that the state government was planning to construct six more hydroelectricity projects in Odisha and produce around 700 MW more power.
“The amount of monsoon rain is decreasing over the years due to change in the climate condition. In this context, the future of the proposed hydroelectricity projects has been pushed into uncertainty. The state government should take note of the situation and act accordingly to meet the power shortage in future,” said All Odisha Electricity Workers’ Association general secretary Akhaya Kumar Tripathy.
PNN
