After 2024 flood fury, Tripura’s lone Gumti Hydel Project gears up for a new lease of life

More than five decades after its foundation, Tripura’s first and only hydropower project is being rebuilt after the 2024 floods, with authorities targeting a revival of around 10 MW of clean power by December 2027.

For nearly half a century, the waters of the Gumti River have been turned into electricity at Tripura’s only hydroelectric power project. Now, after one of the worst floods in the state’s recent history brought the ageing facility to a standstill, the Gumti Hydroelectric Project is preparing for a second innings.

Nestled in the Gomati district, the project is set for a major renovation and modernisation exercise, with authorities aiming to restore its generating capacity and bring around 10 MW of clean hydropower back to Tripura’s electricity network by December 2027.

The project has a history stretching back more than five decades. Its foundation stone was laid on September 22, 1969, by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It was inaugurated on July 10, 1976, by then Tripura Chief Minister Sukhamoy Sengupta.

Since then, the Gumti Hydroelectric Project has remained a crucial part of Tripura’s power-generation infrastructure, harnessing the waters stored behind the Dumboor dam.

But in August 2024, nature delivered a devastating blow.

When the flood entered the powerhouse

The unprecedented rise in water levels led to the automatic opening of the Dumboor dam gates, resulting in a massive downstream flow and flooding in several areas. Landslides followed across the project area, compounding the damage.

The powerhouse bore the brunt of the disaster.

"The floodwater completely submerged the powerhouse. Heavy deposits of water and mud entered the turbine and power-generation areas, severely damaging all three units," Mihir Debbarma, Deputy General Manager of the Gomati Electrical Division, Jatan Bari, told India Today NE.

The floodwater and mud damaged critical electro-mechanical infrastructure, including turbines, generators, governors, DC systems, control and protection panels, as well as power and control cables.

The result was total shutdown.

All the generating units have remained out of operation since the disaster, officials said. The damaged electro-mechanical equipment will have to be replaced as part of the revival process.

Yet, amid the destruction, there is one important piece of reassurance: the dam itself remains safe, according to officials.

An ageing project meets a modern rebuild

Even before the floods, the Gumti project was showing the effects of age. Much of its machinery had already completed more than four decades of service.

The 2024 disaster, therefore, presented authorities with a difficult choice: repair an ageing facility piece by piece or use the opportunity to modernise it comprehensively.

They opted for the latter.

Tripura Power Generation Limited (TPGL) has initiated the Renovation and Modernisation (R&M) process for the Gumti 3x5 MW Small Hydro Electric Power Plant. Necessary tests and surveys have been completed, while preparations are under way for the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and tender documents.

The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has been entrusted with restoration-related work, including the replacement of the damaged electro-mechanical equipment.

The revival is, however, not simply a matter of replacing turbines and generators.

One of the biggest technical challenges lies beneath the water.

The underwater challenge

According to Manoj Debbarma, Deputy General Manager of the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited, authorities approached NHPC soon after the floods to assess the damage and formulate a comprehensive revival plan.

But engineers still need a detailed understanding of the underwater section of the water channel connecting Dumboor with the powerhouse.

This includes the emergency gates and flap gates located beneath the dam.

"Underwater measurements and assessments are required to determine the exact dimensions and identify whether there are any obstructions," Debbarma said.

For a project that has been operating for decades, such an inspection is critical. Any obstruction or structural damage beneath the water could affect the design and execution of the restoration work.

To undertake the specialised exercise, an underwater inspection agency with remotely operated vehicle (IROV) expertise from Kerala has been engaged.

The inspection is expected to take around a week and will provide the technical inputs needed to finalise the DPR.

Racing against time

The authorities are hopeful that the DPR will be completed within the next few months. Once it is approved, restoration work is expected to proceed in phases.

The target is ambitious: December 2027.

"We have set an ambitious target of December 2027 for completion of the overall restoration process and revival of the project. Once restored, the three-unit Gumti Hydroelectric Project is expected to once again contribute around 10 MW of clean hydropower to Tripura's electricity network," an official said.

For Tripura, the figure may appear modest in the context of the state's overall power requirements. But the revival of Gumti represents more than simply adding megawatts to the grid.

It is about bringing back a power asset that has been part of the state's infrastructure for generations, while replacing equipment that has served for more than 40 years with modern technology.

A second life for an old power project

The Gumti Hydroelectric Project has survived political transitions, decades of operation, ageing machinery and, most recently, a catastrophic flood.

Its revival now depends on engineering assessments, underwater surveys, modernisation plans and the execution of a complex restoration programme.

If the December 2027 deadline is met, the project will once again begin producing electricity from the waters of the Gumti — nearly two years after the flood forced it into silence.

More than five decades after its foundation stone was laid, the Gumti project is preparing for a new chapter: one that combines an old hydroelectric legacy with modern machinery, rebuilt infrastructure and renewed hopes of clean power for Tripura.