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Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya
A Brief Profile of the Project
The Myntdu Leshka Hydro Electric Project is
situated in the Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya on the southern slopes in
the foot hills adjoining to the international boundary with Bangladesh. The
Project site is located in the different geological formation having diverse
lithological character. The Myntdu Leshka H. E. Project is a Run of the River (ROR)
scheme with envisages the utilization of the river Myntdu & its tributaries the
Lamu & the Umshariang to generate about 372mu of Power through the 2 (two) units
of 42 MW each. The tri-junction of the above three tributaries is called Leshka
at a longitude 92015’E & latitude 25010’N.
The project area is a narrow & steep,
laying between the central upland Region of Meghalaya & the plains of
Bangladesh. The region is popularly known as Ri-war. The fall of the hills at
many places is sudden & sharp, forming deep gorges & river valleys. It is
characterized by numerous precipices, cliffs, waterfalls & beautiful platforms
overlooking the plains of Bangladesh. The coming of the Project is sure to make
the area a favorite destination for tourism.
The
approximate road distance to the Project site is as
follows:
|
a.
|
Nearest
Airport
|
Gopinath
Bordoloi
International
Airport
,
Guwahati
|
|
b.
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Nearest
Railway station
|
Guwahati
|
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c.
|
Distance
from Guwahati to Project site
|
216Km
|
|
d.
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Distance
from Guwahati to Shillong
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100Km
|
|
e.
|
Distance
from Shillong to Project site
|
106Km
|
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f.
|
Nearest
Sub-Division (Civil) HQ
|
Amlarem
|
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g.
|
Nearest
District HQ
|
Jowai
|
The main components of the Project include
the 66m high concrete gravity dam on the 100m downstream of Leshka tri-junction.
The stored water is conducted through a 3.605km long water conductor system
comprising a tunnel, surge shaft, high pressure tunnel & penstock pipe to the
power house on the bank of the river Lynriang housing 2 (two) machine of 42MW
each.
While the investigation works of Myntdu
Leshka Project were taken up, the implementing authority took special care to
ensure that the Project will have the least impact on the environment and that
there will be no displacement of any villages. In fact, 2 (two) Projects further
upstream of Leshka near Jowai, viz. Salim & Suchen would have facilitated big
storage reservoirs & much bigger projects than that one at hand which were
identified by the Central Electricity Authority. The sole reason of not taking
up them was that it would have submerged a large number of thickly populated
villages & cultivated land.
The
MYNTDU RIVER
The Myntdu
River,
in its upper reaches originates, from the place Mih Myntdu at an elevation of
1372m (4500ft) & flows towards the south for a distance of about of 10Km with
the steep gradient upto an elevation of about 1220m. From this point, the river
takes a sharp bend towards the east & flows in that direction for a distance of
about 11Km. In the next 27Km, the river gradually drops by about 595m (1950ft) &
flows mostly through narrow valleys towards the south west for the first 16Km.
Over the next 11Km, it flows towards the south upto an elevation of
approximately 595m (1950ft) near Leshka where two tributaries of Myntdu viz.
Umshariang from the west & Lamu from the east meet the Myntdu River.
Leshka is named after the aforesaid tri-junction of rivers.
From Leshka, the river
flows towards the south for a distance of about 6.4Km with a loop towards the
south east till it meets its major tributary, the Lynriang River
at an elevation of about 335m (1100ft). For the remaining 10Km of its journey
towards the plains, the Myntdu river flows south with a loop to an elevation of
30.5m (100ft) near Kharkhana. Up to this portion from Leshka, the river drops by
about 564m (1850ft) in a distance of 16Km offering great scope for hydro power
development in two stages. Though the upper reaches of the Myntdu River
below Jowai appear suitable for a good storage reservoir, it is not considered
for inclusion in the project proposal because it involves submergence of large
areas of cultivated land & thickly populated areas. To save the cultivable lands
& villages from submergence on which the local people are solely dependent, it
is proposed to construct the storage dam at suitable site in the lower reaches
of the Myntdu River
thereby confining the storage to the riverine channel portion only. The
catchment up to the dam site is 350Sq. Km. The project components are likely to
face aggressive acidic atmosphere due to high degree of acidity in the water of
Myntdu river. The indiscriminate & unscientific coal mining in the catchment
area has led to the high acidity in the river water. No aquatic life actually
exists in the water of the Myntdu River.
The Project is located
near Dawki falls in the Zone ‘V’. Thus, elaborate measures to nullify the
effects of the earthquake have been undertaken in the design parameters.
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
The following tables indicate the
important Chronology of events for getting the Project clearance :
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Events
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Year
|
|
1999
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2000
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2001
|
2002
|
2003
|
2004
|
|
Tec
Clearance
|
Sept
Ü
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
Environment Clearance
|
Ü
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
Forest
Clearance
|
|
|
Ü
|
|
|
|
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Zero
Date Of The Project
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|
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Ü
Nov
|
|
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Administrative
Approval Of The Board
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|
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Ü
|
|
|
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Foundation
Stone Laid By The Honorable President Of
India
|
|
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25th
Oct/02
|
|
|
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Final
Forest
Clearance
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ü
|
|
Date
Of Formal Start
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ü
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Salient Features Of Myntdu Leshka H. E. Project,
Stage-I, Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya
|
I
GENERAL:
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A.
Name of the Project
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:
Myntdu Leshka Hydro Electric Project, Stage – I.
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B.
Location
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:
Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya
|
|
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:
Latitude-250-10’ to 250-17’
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|
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:
Longitude- 920-15’ to 920-30’
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C.
(i) River
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:
Myntdu
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(ii) Catchments Area
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:
350Sq. Km.
|
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D.
Installed Capacity
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:
2 x 42 MW
|
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E.
Annual Energy Potential –
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|
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(I)
In a 90% dependable year
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:
372.69 MKwh
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(II)
Firm Power in a 90% dependable year
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:
14.15 MW
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F.
Time required for completion
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:
5 (five) years from date of TEC.
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G.
Estimated cost of construction –
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|
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(A)
(Jan ’99):
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Civil
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:
Rs. 181.69 Lakhs
|
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Electrical
|
:
Rs. 103.67 Lakhs
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Total
|
:
Rs. 285.36 Lakhs
|
|
H.
The revised cost of the Project as on April, 2006
–
|
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Civil
Works
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:
Rs. 386.91 Lakhs
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Electrical
& Mechanical Works
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:
Rs. 110.96 Lakhs
|
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Total
Cost
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:
Rs. 497.87 Lakhs
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II.
COST OF GENERATION
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:
Rs. 2.21/Kwh.
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SELLING
PRICE
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:
Rs. 3.00/Kwh.
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III.
CIVIL WORK:
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A.
Leshka Dam –
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Type
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:
Concrete Gravity
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Live
Storage
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:
7.32M Cum
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FRL
|
:
618.00m
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MDDL
|
:
606.15m
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Bed
Level
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:
561.00m
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Length:
|
|
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(I)
Overflow
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:
107.50m
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(II)
Non-Overflow
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: 212.10m = 319.60
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Deepest
Foundation Level
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:
557.00m
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Crest
Level
|
:
587.50m
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Maximum
Height
|
:
66.00m
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Top
of Non-overflow section
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:
620.00m
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Spillway
Capacity
|
:
10,440 Cumecs
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Leshka Project
