Bajoli-Holi Hydro Power Project (BHHPP)

Bajoli-Holi Hydro Power Project (BHHPP)

TOPIC: Geography

Context- Tunnel testing of the 180 megawatts (MW) triggered seepage and landslides that caused damage to the houses in Jharauta village in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh.

Concept-

About the Project:

• Bajoli-Holi HEP is 180 MW run-of-the-river power facility being constructed on the River Ravi in the Chamba district of the state Himachal Pradesh,
• The project consists of a 66 m high concrete gravity dam.
• The hydropower project has been awarded to GMR Hydro Power by the Indian Government on a Build-Own- Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis for 40 years from the date of commissioning.
• The Bajoli-Holi hydropower project has heavily impacted the Gaddi community and the region’s ecology.

About Ravi River:

• It is one of the five tributaries of the Indus River that give the Punjab (meaning “Five Rivers”) its name. Other tributaries are: Jhelum, Chenab, Beas and Sutlej.
• The Ravi River originates in Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas in the Chamba district of HP. Ravi has its source in Kullu hills near the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh.
• The waters of the Ravi River are allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty
• Chamba town is situated on the right bank of the river.
• Important right bank tributaries: Budhil, TindahanBeljedi, Saho and Siul;
• Left bank tributary:
• It is a transboundary river.
• Important Projects: Ujh Multipurpose Project (River Ujh is a tributary of the Ravi), Shahpurkandi Dam Project.