Puwa River
The Puwa River (or Puwa Khola) is a river in Nepal. It is a right tributary of the Mai Khola.
| Puwa River | |
|---|---|
 Puwa Khola, Ilam District | |
  | |
| Native name | Puwa Khola (Nepali) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Mai Khola |
• coordinates | 26.859383°N 87.912407°E |
Location
The Puwa Khola is a tributary of the Mai Khola, and lies entirely within Ilam District.[1] A 1994 environmental impact study of the Ilam hydroelectric project found 14 species of fish in the Puwa Khola.[2]
Farming
The Geya Danda Irrigation System uses water from the Puwa Khola to irrigate 125 hectares (310 acres) in Puwajung, Ilam Municipality-5, Ilam District, just above the river's confluence with the Mai Khola.[1] The 6.2 MW Puwa Khola hydro electrical project is about 500 metres (1,600 ft) above the irrigation system. Access road construction has damaged some of the farmland, and about 250 liters per second (3,300 imp gal/min) of water is diverted to the power station.[3] The diverted water flows along a 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) headrace tunnel and then a 990 metres (3,250 ft) penstock pipe to the power station, which discharges it into the left bank of the Mai Khola.[4] This leaves very little irrigation water in the dry season.[3]
Hydroelectricity
There are four hydroelectric plants along the river.[5]
| Project | Power | Status | Commissioned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puwa Khola-1 Small Hydropower Plant | 4 MW | Live | 2017-10-09 |
| Puwa II Hydropower Project | 4.96 MW | Construction | |
| Puwa Khola Hydropower Station | 6.2 MW | Live | 2004-04-04 |
| Upper Puwa-1 Hydropower Project | 3 MW | Live | 2015-01-16 |
Notes
- Sewanta Kattel 2006, p. 1.
- Rajbanshi 2002, p. 229.
- Sewanta Kattel 2006, p. 4.
- Hirakaji Ghale 2005, pp. 3–4.
- Puwa Khola PEI.
Sources
- Hirakaji Ghale (September 2005), Independent Evaluation of Mai River Area Water Partnership (AWP) (PDF), Min Bhawan, Kathmandu: Consolidated Management Services Nepal (CMS), retrieved 2020-12-02
- "Puwa Khola", Nepal Water Resource Portal, PEI: Policy Entrepreneurs Incorporated, retrieved 2020-12-02
- Rajbanshi, K. J. (2002), "Zoogeographical distribution and the status of cold water fish in Nepal", Cold Water Fisheries in the Trans-Himalayan Countries, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ISBN 978-92-5-104807-8, retrieved 2 December 2020
- Sewanta Kattel (December 2006), "Dispute Management in Farmer's Managed Irrigation System: A Case Study of Geya Danda Irrigation System of Eastern Nepal", Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 1, doi:10.3126/dsaj.v1i0.277, retrieved 2020-12-02