Another disaster is staring Uttarakhand in the face. The Tehri dam water levels have reached full reservoir levels (FRL) and the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) is in the throes of a major quandary. If they start releasing large quantities of water, it can lead to massive flooding in Hardwar, Rishikesh and other parts of western Uttar Pradesh.
On August 5, 2013, water levels in the Tehri, according to the Northern Region Load Dispatch, had reached 814.4 metres. The permissible full reservoir level is 820 metres.
The question groups monitoring dams are asking is why the Tehri dam has been allowed to fill up to its maximum capacity when there are another 30 days of the monsoon still to go.
Himanshu Thakkar who heads the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, has asked, “From July 1, the water level in the dam has gone up by 38.35 metres but during this entire period, the dam authorities are releasing less water than they have been receiving.”
Strangely, the Tehri dam in July this year has generated 657.65 million units of power whereas the optimum it can generate in 744 MU. “If they had generated more electricity, they could have released more water,” said Mr Thakkar.
The All-India Powers Engineers Federation has written to the ministry of power expressing concern about spillage from the Tehri dam. The undercurrent in their letter is that the Koteshwar dam, located 20 km downstream of the Tehri dam and which has been constructed to contain water spilloffs, is not strong enough to absorb these large water releases. Already, release of large quantities of water in September 2010 saw major floods in downstream Uttarakhand and western UP. The government has also launched a vigilance inquiry regarding the quality of the civil works undertaken in the Koteshwar dam. The Central Water Commission is supposed to provide the rule curve for safe operations of all dams but has failed to issue any such rules for either Tehri or Koteshwar dam.
Sources in THDC admit that in 2010, they were given a one-time permission to take FRL to 293.3 metres which caused major flooding. “But are monitoring the situation on a day-to-day basis and are determined to control the situation,” he said.