NHPC Limited plans to expedite desilting at the Salal Dam in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) to free up reservoir capacity and improve operational efficiency at the associated power plant.
The 690 MW Salal hydropower project is located on the Chenab river in Reasi district. The sedimentation has reduced water storage capacity and caused abrasive damage to turbines over time. NHPC Limited has planned a composite study to assess options including flushing, dredging and under-sluice operations, while noting that some dredging work is already underway at Salal. The reservoir capacity has declined to about 14 million cubic metres from the original 284 million cubic metres due to sediment build-up over the years.