Shillong, June 14 : The Kopili Hydel Project in Meghalaya, owned by the North Eastern Electric Corporation (NEEPCO), has come under threat from high content of acid in its reservoir due to unscientific coal mining in the region, a senior official said Tuesday.
The reservoir of the 275 MW hydel project at Umrangso, a border area between Assam and Meghalaya, was found to contain acidic water discharged from the Kharkhar river, a tributary of the Kopili river originating in the Jaintia Hills.
“Unscientific coal mining in Meghalaya has affected the Kopili Hydel Project. Its life-span is very uncertain as most of the machinery is corroded due to sulpuric acid content in the reservoir,” NEEPCO technical director Utpal Moral told IANS Tuesday.
According to Moral, the discharge of toxic wastes from the mines has contaminated the water, affecting the project’s functioning.
“Important machinery and even the structure of the dam are being corroded due to the acid drainage. The approximate cost for the repair of the damaged parts is Rs.1.5 crore,” the official said.
“Rat-hole coal mining carried out unscientifically has led to severe degradation of the environment. In fact, Meghalaya doesn’t have a mining policy of its own despite its abundant mineral wealth,” Moral added.
Commissioned in 1984, the Kopili project generates 275 MW electricity. Twelve percent free power is distributed equally between Assam and Meghalaya, besides 17 percent given to other northeastern states.
Due to acidic corrosion of the metallic parts, the generating units have encountered frequent failure of underwater parts, cooling water pipes and tubes, the NEEPCO official pointed out.
Moral, however, said NEEPCO has taken extraordinary efforts to keep the plant running as the northeast is a power deficit region and the plant contributes about 20 percent of peak-hour grid requirement.
“We will consult international experts for the comprehensive treatment of the problem of acidity,” Moral said, adding that NEEPCO has also urged the Meghalaya government to take steps to put an end to unscientific mining.
A recent study by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) said the potential hydrogen value of water in the Kopili river is between 2.3 to 2.7 at present while the normal scale should be seven.
The fall is due to a rise in the level of sulfuric acid, the survey said.
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