HP: Preventive measures save Larji hydropower project from flood fury this year

Shimla, Sep 6 (PTI) A comprehensive safety plan and preventive measures adopted well on time helped in successfully protecting the Larji hydropower project in Himachal's Mandi district from the challenges posed by heavy rains and floods this year, a state government spokesperson said on Saturday.

Learning a lesson from the disaster of 2023, the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited worked on a comprehensive safety plan. Preventive measures, the most important being the installation of flood gates, were adopted well on time, he said in a statement.

The devastation in 2023 had forced the complete shutdown of the 126 megawatt Larji project for almost six months, causing a loss of nearly Rs 95 crore. An additional Rs 185 crore had to be spent to make the project operational.

The project site and the main entry point remained secure even during the floods in Beas river due to installation of gates. Water seeping into the powerhouse was drained out immediately.

The management board had already created field and technical posts under the rationalisation of the Generation Wing in February 2025, which further strengthened the security arrangements of the Larji project.

The project team effectively implemented the safety plan on site and succeeded in keeping it safe even when silt deposits were formed during the flood on August 26, 2025, the statement said.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had directed that the special safety plan for the project should continue to be implemented effectively, it added. PTI BPL RUK RUK