Reopening of Dhauliganga Dam puts Mahakali riverside at risk

Binod Singh Bista, Baitadi: The Dhauliganga Hydropower Project in Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand, India is to be reopened. According to NHPC Limited and Dhauliganga Power Station, the dam will be opened from 12 noon on July 3 till 6:45 pm on July 4.

The dam gate is being opened for silt flushing and sanitation, said Darchula Assistant Chief District Officer Tek Singh Kunwar. The local administrations of Nepal and India have requested its people to be vigilant as the water level in the Mahakali River flowing towards India through Darchula and Baitadi as well as Dadeldhura and Kanchanpur may fluctuate due to the opening of the damn.

Residents of the riverine area from Dhaulakot of Beas Municipality-5 to Lali of Lekam Municipality have been urged to be vigilant and stay in a safe place as the water level will rise when the dam is opened, similarly, citizens from Sera of Baitadi to Kusmatghat have been requested not to go near the banks of the river. Meanwhile, the commencement of the dam opening has proceeded under the reasoning that regular cleaning is required periodically as the amount of water in the dam will increase.

In 2070 BS, the Dhauliganga dam under similar circumstance, damage to the Darchula district causing tens of billions of rupees in infrastructure damage however it has now become easier to take precaution after the Indian administration started giving advance notice about the opening of the Dhauliganga dam project which has a capacity of 280 MW.

Accordingly, the Nepali administration has been informing its residents at risk around the river about the opening of the dam. The previous year, the dam gates were open from 12 noon on July 3 to 7 pm on July 4.