Chilla

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Salient Features
 

Garhwal Rishikesh Chilla Scheme is one of the completed run of the river schemes. It utilises a drop of 33 metres from Virbhadra upto power house situated 4 km. upstream of Ganga Canal Headwork's at Bhimgoda. The river discharge available at Virbhadra, has been diverted by constructing a barrage in to a 14.1 km., long power channel. After generating power the water is discharge in river Ganga a 1.2 km. long tail race channel. The discharge as available in river Ganga, upto 580 cumecs (20,000 cusecs) has been utilised for generation of power.

Works on this scheme were started in Oct. 1974 and all the functional works were completed by Dec. 1980. All the four units of the power house were commissioned in March, 1981. The total cost of the scheme is 9776 lacs and it has added 742 million units annually. This generation would increase to 920 million units after completion of Tehri Project.

(A) Barrage and Head Regulator at Virbhadra

312 metres long barrage having 15 bays of 18 metres each and 63 metres long head regulator having 5 bays of 11 m each have been constructed on river Ganga at Virbhadra, 5 km., downstream of Rishikesh. This barrage is in boulder stage of river and has been designed for discharge intensity of 67 cumecs per metre.

(B) Power Channel

The power channel, 14.1 km., long runs between left bank of river Ganga and foot hill in exceedingly difficult and torturous terrain with varying geology. At some places it has been constructed in 30 metres deep excavation and at some places in 30 metres high embankment.

(C) Power House at Chilla

The power house has four units of 36 MW. each utilising drop of 33 metres. Water is fed in to the turbines through four penstocks of 6 metres dia each of about 55 metres length. The water from the power house is discharged back in river Ganga, upstream of Ganga Canel head works, through a 1.2 km., tail race channel.