Floods halt 55MW power generation in Taplejung-Panchthar corridor

Heavy rainfall and flooding in Nepal's Taplejung and Panchthar districts have brought 55 megawatts of power generation to a standstill. The deluge, occurring on Friday night, damaged hydropower projects situated along the Kabeli and Indrawati rivers, forcing a complete halt in production.

Four projects, including the 25MW Kabeli B-1 hydropower project operated by Arun Kabeli Power Limited, experienced disruptions. Floodwaters damaged structures and intakes, leading to accumulations of stones, mud, silt, and logs that blocked operations. Lekharaj Neupane, an employee at Arun Kabeli Power Limited, confirmed the damage to the project's intake and other structures.

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floods damaged the intake and other structures of the project. He said stones, mud, silt and logs carried by the floodwaters had piled up at the dam and intake areas, halting production.

Similarly, the 9.9MW Iwa Khola project by Ridi Hydropower Limited and the 9.7MW project by Iwa Hydropower Limited on the Indrawati river also suspended generation. Mausam Seyling, an employee at Iwa Hydropower Limited, reported that floodwaters damaged the intake area, pipelines, and powerhouse structures of their project. The electricity from these affected projects is channeled to the Amarpur substation in Panchthar.

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floodwaters damaged the intake area, pipelines and powerhouse structures of the project.