Himalayan Times (1958)

Six

Maroh 23, 1958

SHARAVAfHY—India's Largest Hydel Project

The Western Ghats
h&to i been, fortunately for
the South, strategically
plaoed so as to oolleot an
enormous amount of water
and also provide precipi-
tous falls. Between the
two, they enable the
enormous energy of water
falling down great heights
to be converted to con-
trollable and transport-
able eleotrioity. This gift
of nature is freely spread
over Bombay, Mysore and
Kerala. New and bigger
projects are being planned
and executed by these
States to meet the cease-
less demand for power,
essential for their econo-
mic growth. Sharavathy
in Mysore is the latest
which envisages fuller ex-
ploitation of the potential
of the river at its fall at
the famous Garusoppa.

Pioneer of Hydro-Power

Mysore was the first
State to launch on hydro-
power generation on a
large soale in India, As
long back as 1898 when
hydro-power generation
was in its infancy, the
farsighted Dewan of My-
sore, Sir K Seshadri Iyer,
pioneered the oonstruotion
of the power station at
Sivasamudram on the
banks of the Cativery. It

started in a small way,
in 1902, with six small
generating units of 760
KVV each. Today it has
an installed capacity of
42,000 KW. To this was
added the Shimsha Power
House of 17,200 KW, by
diverting part of the
Cauvery water away from
Sivasamudram.

Power from Sivasa-
mudram and : himaha
gave a fillip and steadily
fed new industries in the
State like the Bhadravathi
Iron and Steel Works,
textile mills, paper, sugar
'and aircraft factories, and
numerous others. The
total power supplied by
the powsr stations in the
State oould not meet the
growing demand and power
shortage limited further
industrialisation and eco-
nomic growth. According
to the present estimates,
Mysore will be faced with
a demand for about
326,000 KW in 19R0-61.
The recent reorganisation
of States, whioh enlarged
Mysore, brought down the
per oapita consumption,
i he need for power is
greater in greater Mysore.
Again the State has there-
fore turned to her muni-
ficent rivers. - Sharavathy,
with most of its potential
untapped, answers the

needs for a number of
years to come.
Sharavathy Power History
Proposals for power
development from Shara- -
vathy were made 50 years
ago almost at the same
time as for Sivasamudram.
The proposal was revived
by Shri M. Visvesvaraya
in the 1920s, and investi-
gations too were carried
oat But it was not until
1948, that Sharavathy was
harnessed for the first
time at the Mahatnia
Gandhi Hydro-electric po-
wer station near the Jog
Falls ( Gerusoppa). It
opened with an installed
opacity of 48,000 KW.
Even this was practically
used up by the industries
in the State and the de-
mand for power again
rose. Subsequently ano-
ther 72,000 KW was ad-
ded to the installed capa-
city of the station taking
the total to 120,000 KW.
The total installed capa-
city in the , three hydro-
power " stations of the
State stands ' now at
179,200 KW.

Feature of New Project
The Sharavathy will
now be dammed at Lingan-
makki, about five miles
upstream of the Jog
Falls —that is between the