The Neelum valley from Jura village to Athmuqam has a number of terraces on either bank, where settlement is intensive in addition to cultivated land. The water utilization for power generation requires diversion structures, desilting facilities, sound geological formation for all project components. Having focused on river stretch some kilometers away from line of control necessitate to locate the places where adequate structures can be proposed to plan power development layout.

The presence of line of control a few kilometers from project area require the structures to be underground except diversion weir and intake. Geological formation is the most important aspect to propose alternative layouts. Population at lower elevation terraces restrict the weir height and head potential. The minimum weir height is required for diversion of design discharge into power tunnel, evacuation of flood and to prevent bed load movement into power intake. With weir options at three locations, only one powerhouse could be found for alternative project layouts.

Alternative Project Layouts

Three alternative layouts were initially proposed for the Project as shown in the map below, Alternative-I was found to be most suitable economically and environmentally therefore it was selected for further studies.

The desk study and preliminary site evaluation task was carried out to develop alternatives in order to optimize the conceptual level weir and powerhouse site locations in the light of additional information to be taken from preliminary investigations. Based on updated data available for topography and hydrology, three weir sites and one powerhouse site was identified and accordingly three alternative project layouts have been studied and investigated with preliminary field data for Ashkot Hydropower Project.