QUESTION 20
GS3
5 marks
What do you understand by run-of-river hydroelectricity project? How is it different from any other hydroelectricity project?
WRITE IN
4 min
100 words
What the examiner wants
Explain run-of-river hydro projects and how they differ from storage projects.
What; How differentAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1Concept: uses natural river flow with little or no reservoir; small pondage for daily peaks; often diverts water through a tunnel to a powerhouse≈20 words
- 2Differences: small submergence and displacement, lower cost and quicker build, but output varies with season and no flood control or irrigation≈20 words
- 3Concerns: dry stretches downstream, cumulative impact of cascades in Himalayas, sediment≈20 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
DefinitionHow it worksComparison with storage damsConcerns
Where marks usually go
- Saying run-of-river has zero environmental impact
- No contrast table
Draw this
- Side-by-side sketch: storage dam with reservoir vs diversion weir with tunnel and powerhouse
Value addition
- ExampleNathpa Jhakri (1,500 MW) on the Satluj is a run-of-river project.SJVN
- TreatyIndus Waters Treaty (1960) lets India build run-of-river projects on western rivers with limited pondage.Indus Waters Treaty, Annexure D
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 26 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 23 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 13 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 4 minutes, then get it checked.