SHILLONG, July 15: Power Minister AT Mondal on Tuesday expressed concern over the declining water level in the Umiam reservoir, amid erratic rain and said the drop in storage could impact the state’s power generation capacity.
Talking to reporters, he said the current water level in Umiam remains manageable, but cautioned that a prolonged spell of dry weather could force the state to reconsider its power supply schedule.
As on July 14, the water level of Umiam dropped to 3,182 ft as the state is not receiving monsoon rains for some time now.
“It is a matter of concern when water is not there. I am more tense than anyone else,” Mondal said.
Stating that the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited is monitoring the situation, he said the water level goes down whenever there is power generation.
Asked if there is a possibility of load-shedding, he said it is premature to comment anything on this. He said the department is in a comfortable position now.
“Things will depend on for how long monsoon eludes us,” the minister said, pointing out that the generation of energy also depends on monsoon.
It may be recalled that the Umiam Lake’s water level was at full capacity (around 3,220 ft) a few months ago. Since then, it has gone down drastically, raising fears about load-shedding.
Power dues
Mondal said the government will target to clear its Rs 664 crore dues to National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) by 2027.
He said the state government has worked hard to clear all the dues of central utilities which accumulated over the years. He said the dues of NEEPCO, Power Grid, OTPC, etc., have already been neutralised.
“We don’t have any dues other than current charges and some dues of NTPC which have accumulated to Rs 664 crore. We have set a target to neutralise the dues by 2027,” the minister added.
