SILTATION IN HYDRO POWER PLANTS IN THE HIMALAYAS

Siltation in Hydro Power Plants in the Himalayas Due to inherent rock instability, weak geology, deforestation, and population explosion, many rivers originating from the Himalayas carry a lot of silt, especially during the runoffs in the monsoon season between June and September. Siltation is a massive challenge for many hydroelectric power plants, which calls for significant stakeholders' concern in the hydropower industry. The problem calls for silt conscious designs implementing silt conscious thinking during the design, maintenance, operation, upgrading, and refurbishment processes of these power plants. Hydroelectric power stations in the Himalayan area often face siltation problems during the heavy rains season. According to Chitrakar et al. (2016), River Siul carries a silt concentration of approximately, 30,000PPM causing damage to the turbines and the cooling system. all these damages affect the electricity generation leading to a high cost of maintenance of the Baira Siul hydropower project. This essay discusses solutions that could be implemented to solve or minimize the Himalayan region's siltation problem.