Sedimentation monitoring of Kulekhani reservoir

Nepal is endowed with enormous potential for hydro-power. Harnessing this potential is of the utmost importance for the country?s development. The Kulekhani reservoir (also known as Indra Sarowar) is 216 hectares and resulted from the construction in the early 1980s of a 114 metershigh rock-filled dam. Hydro-power generation from the Kulekhani Project was developed in two phases. Kulekhani I (60 MW) costing US$ 68.0 million was completed in December 1982 and the Kulekhani II (32 MW) costing Yen 12.150 billion was completed in December 1986. The total installed capacity of 92 megawatts hydro-power of Kulekhani I and II accounts for about 45 % of country?s hydro-power generation. (Nippon Koei Co., LTD., 1994). The original gross capacity of the reservoir was 85.3 million m3, of which 73.3 million m3 is live and 11.2 million m3 is dead volume. The reservoir, designed for a life-span of 50 years, is expected to last 100 years. The watershed area lies in a fragile physiographic region which experiences intense monsoon rainfall events. The watershed area has been intensively used in response to meeting people?s basic needs for food, fodder, fuelwood, fiber and shelter. As a result, the erosion processes in the watershed transport an enormous amount of sediment to the reservoir. Sedimentation monitoring plays an important role in developing strategy for watershed management and hydropower generation.