on the Fishery of the Khudi River during Operation Phase

Khudi Small Hydropower Project (3.45 MW) is a run-of-the-river generating system, located in the Lamjung District, Western Development Region of Nepal approximately 180km west of Kathmandu. The entire project structures lie along the Khudi River bank, a distance of 2.86km from weir to powerhouse, covered by small patches of shrub land and grazing land. The main environmental impacts will be on the local fish population of the river due to the project operation. During the operation of the project the 2.86km section of the river located between weir and powerhouse will experience a reduced flow during the dry season between December and May, significantly affecting the local fish population. The downstream release of 250 l/s of water is most likely to be further reduced in the dry period to augment the increasing demand of electricity. The decrease in the downstream release during dry months will be only partially mitigated by two tributaries (Painyu Khola and Rinchi Khola) recharging the river approximately 509m and 2069m downstream from the weir. The combined flow of the two tributaries is only 3.5 % of the river flow, which is insufficient to protect the aquatic life, In addition, the ground water recharge capacity is unknown for this section of the river. Therefore, impact of changes in the river hydrology in the dewatered section of the river during the low flow season is expected to be most severe between December and May, significantly affecting the aquatic life