(Feature Image: Dam site of Patikari HEP destroyed by the flash flood.)
A ‘cloudburst’ induced deluge on the intervening night of June 30 and July 01, 2025 has totally destroyed the Patikari Hydroelectric Power (HEP) project in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. The 16 Mw project was built in Gudah village on Bakhali khad (Kuklah stream) a tributary of Beas River upstream Pandoh dam. The main project structures including the dam site and powerhouse have been washed away in the disaster. The 12 workers of the project managed to escape in the nick of time.
As per incharge Shyam Lal the powerhouse of the project started flooding following the huge rise in the water level of the river during late night of June 30, 2025. Within hours the situation worsened forcing, the 12 workers on night shift duty at powerhouse site (8) and dam site (4) run to save their lives.
During morning inspection, the project in-charge found that the flood has totally wiped out dam site, powerhouse, electrical panels and approach roads between dam site and powerhouse. Further, the flood also washed away a JCB machine, a tipper and 2 concrete mixture machines deployed by a contractor for the project. The project tunnel (3600 meter long), pen-stock (1.3 meter diameter, 680 meter long) has also suffered partial damage.
The in-charge has also said that during August 2023 flash flood disaster the project had already suffered significant damage causing financial losses worth Rs. 25 Cr to the company. After this, the company had repaired the turbines and changed electrical panels to restart the project. The flood level this time was so high that a 6-meter high and 150 long concrete wall to protect the powerhouse after the August 2023 disaster was also breached and damaged.
Shyam Lal says that the company has again suffered losses worth several crores adding that the project area is still inaccessible and full estimation of the damage will take time. He feels that now repairing of the project is out of question and rebuilding it from the beginning is only option.
About the Project: The 16 MW (8X2) small hydro project was built by Patikari Power Private Limited at a cost of Rs. 115.63 crore and was commissioned in February 2008. The salient features of the project can be seen here. The project has got a subsidy worth Rs. 7.8 crores from Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) and financial benefits from Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) funds.
Past Issues & Damages: The project has never been able to generate electricity as per its design capacity mainly due to low water level in the river during lean season as per company’s own data from financial year (FY) 2007-08 to 2016-17. In almost every FY report from 2010-11 to 2017-18, the company had mentioned, “Discharges actually observed in Bakhli Khad during lean discharge months after commissioning of the Project are much lower than the corresponding Design Discharges and many a times even less than the lowest monthly discharges recorded before commissioning as per DPR”.
The company has not uploaded the annual performance report on its website after 2017-18. The company has uploaded financial performance reports only for two FYs 2021-22 and 2022-23. The company has also raised a dispute with the HPPCL regarding increase in the tariff plan. The company has also not updated hourly environmental flows data on its website since Aug 2023.
The project has suffered flash flood and landslides damages in 2010, 2015 and 2017 as per its annual performance reports. The Google Earth imagery also suggests hills around the project site are prone to landslides.
SANDRP
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