Kaligandaki ‘ A ‘ shut after floods, to resume operations today
Syangja – The 144-megawatt Kaligandaki ‘A’ hydropower project in Beltari, Syangja, will resume electricity generation today after water levels in the Kali Gandaki River fell.
The project, located in Beltari, Kaligandaki Rural Municipality-5, had halted generation after four days of continuous rain pushed the river to high levels.
According to Atmesh Paudel, chief of the Kaligandaki ‘A’ Hydropower Station, production was stopped to avoid risk while the river was running high. With the water level now receding, the project is clearing silt that has built up inside the tunnel and inspecting the condition of the powerhouse before restarting generation, he said.
Paudel said a technical team has already assessed the post-flood situation, and production can be resumed.
After the Kali Gandaki flooded, the project opened all the gates of its dam at Mirmi to release the water into the river.
Incessant rain has also inundated Setibeni Bazaar, the meeting point of Syangja, Parbat and Gulmi districts. Residents of 26 households in the bazaar have been sheltered in a nearby school.
Separately, the flood in the Kali Gandaki on Sunday morning swept away the motorable bridge linking Syangja and Gulmi, located a short distance downstream of the project’s dam site.
