Gandhinagar:

The water level in Sardar Sarovar Narmada dam reservoir has crossed the minimum level of 110.64m and reached 110.89m by 3pm today and the SSNNL management is going to start the canal bed hydel unit from today.

Director (Canal) C V Nadpara informed that the canal bed hydel unit is going to be started from today but the river bed one will be started only after enough water is stored and the water level reaches 131m.

‘Both the units can run now but water storage is our priority. We are going to start the canal bed that to as per requirement at a lower capacity from today. For river bed one, which is a much bigger one, we will wait till the water level reaches 131m,’ the Director said.

The inflow was 19504 cusec while the outflow was only 2187 cusec.

‘The minimum level for functioning of the river bed as well as canal bed hydel units is 110.64 meters which has been attained now. The two units were closed since February 20 this year after falling of the water level below that mark,’ an official of the SSNNL today said.

The dam’s main power plant ie river bed one houses six 200 MW Francis pump-turbines to generate electricity and include a pumped-storage capability. Additionally, a power plant on the intake for the main canal ie canal bed contains five 50 MW Kaplan turbine-generators. The total installed capacity of the power facilities is 1,450 MW.

Notably the overflow mark if the dam situated in Kevadiya in Narmada district in Central Guajrat has been raised from 121.92 to 138.48 after the installation and closure of 30 sluice gates last year.

DeshGujarat