Saturday, 25 September 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
The Tehri dam reservoir has touched the level of 830 metres, its full reservoir level (FRL) for the first time on Friday. Though the project has been providing 1,000 MW peaking power and other benefits such as drinking and irrigation water, flood moderation, fishing and tourism for the past 15 years, yet its full potential had remained untapped till now. The Tehri reservoir could not be raised to FRL. However, with the active support of the Ministry of Power and the Uttarakhand government, this mammoth task could be achieved after the pending rehabilitation issues of the project were resolved by THDC India Limited with a very liberal view. Thereafter, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami considered the larger interests of the public and permitted to raise Tehri reservoir level to EL 830m on August 25. Prior to this permission, the dam authorities were not allowed to raise Tehri reservoir to full level and full potential of the project in respect of water and power was not getting fully utilised.
Tehri dam project is a multipurpose hydro power scheme on Bhagirathi river and is the third highest among earth fill dams and tenth highest among all dams of the world. The project consists of 260.5 metre high earth and rock fill dam, and four machines of 250 MW each in an underground power house. Tehri dam project has a capacity to store about 2,615 MCM of surplus flood water during monsoon. Post monsoon, the stored water provides irrigation support to 8.74 lakh hectares land in the Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh; and also provides around 300 cusecs of drinking water to New Delhi for about 40 lakh population and 200 cusecs to UP for about 30 lakh population. The Tehri power plant provides 1,000 MW of peaking power and more than 3,000 Million Units of energy annually to the northern grid, of which 12 per cent goes to Uttarakhand state free of cost.
The management of THDCIL led by its chairman and managing director RK Vishnoi has thanked the state leadership and congratulated the people of Uttarakhand in achieving this much awaited goal. He further said that the commitments made by THDCIL to the CM and Irrigation minister Satpal Maharaaz regarding project affected people shall be fulfilled instantly after reviewing the verified list of beneficiaries from the district administration.
