Puwa River
River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
  Location within Nepal | |
| Native name | Puwa Khola (Nepali) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Mai Khola |
• coordinates | 26.859383°N 87.912407°E |
Location
The Puwa Khola 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 |