The 1,130-MW Parli thermal power plant, in the Marathwada region, could be shut down by December due to severe water shortage.
The Beed district, where the plany is located, is facing a severe drought. The situation is so grim that for drinking water, Beed city is dependent on water tankers.
Thermal power plants are water intensive. Right from washing coal to managing ash, water is required in huge quantities. Cooling water requirement of a typical thermal plant works out to about 4.4 cubic m an MW an hour.
Jayakwadi dry
The plant is dependent on water supply from Jayakwadi and Mazalgaon dams on the Godavari river. The water level in the Jayakwadi dam, which is the main supplier to the plant, has dipped to 3 per cent of its total capacity. The dam, located in the Aurangabad district, is a major source of water for drinking, irrigation and industries for the whole region. Minister for Public Works Jaydatta Kshirsagar, who is also a local leader from Beed, told
For normal operations, the plant requires about 5 TMC (thousand million cubic ft) but that much water cannot be provide by any other source, he said.
Mudgal barrage
In October, about 2.5 TMC of water was released from Gangapur dam in Nashik district, which was to reach Jayakwadi dam via Ahmednagar district.
However due to percolation, evaporation and leakages, only 1.1 TMC of water reached Jayakwadi dam, the Minister said. Even water supply to the plant using railway water tankers is not feasible, Kshirsagar said.
A senior State Government official said that to keep the plant running at its minimum capacity, water might be drawn from the Mudgal barrage in Parbhani district.