Sediment management practices at NHPC’s power stations

Sedimentation is a particularly serious problem for dams on Himalayan rivers, as these rivers carry a huge sediment load. More than 80 per cent of annual sediment inflow comes during the monsoon. Efficient sediment management is therefore required in the monsoon season to protect the the capacity of these reservoirs. NHPC is responsible for maintaining 20 power stations in the Himalayan region and has been successful in maintaining the gross/live capacity of the reservoirs at these power stations by adopting various techniques of sediment management depending on the specific requirements of each site. This paper gives details of the customized sediment management techniques used by NHPC for particular kinds of projects.