A new study has suggested that the government must consider changes occurring due to climate change while planning new hydropower projects.
The generation of hydropower from top seven hydropower projects in India has suffered due to climate variability in the past six decades. Future projected climate change may also hit reservoir operation for power generation from these projects, says the study done by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar.
“Our results provide important insights on the impacts of observed climate variability and projected future climate change on streamflow and hydropower production in India, which can assist planners and policy makers. For future planning, careful consideration of uncertainties in precipitation projections, along with robust and comprehensive adaptation strategies, is required,” researchers have observed in their study published in journal Scientific Reports on Monday.
The study is based on observed climate variability between 1951 and 2007, and model simulations for projected climate change under different scenarios, in relation to top seven large hydropower projects – Nathpa Jhakri, Bhakra Nangal, Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar, Hirakud, Sardar Sarovar, and Indira Sagar.
These large reservoirs are located in four major Indian sub-continental basins – Indus, Krishna, Mahanadi, and Narmada.
Using past observations from India Meteorological Department (IMD) and model simulations for future climate change, the study has found that seven large hydropower projects have experienced “significant warming” and a decline in rainfall and streamflow during the period 1951–2007. All hydropower projects are projected to experience a warmer and wetter climate in the future.
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