ASSESSMENT OF HYDRO POWER POTENTIAL IN AFGHANISTAN, USING ARCGIS AND REMOTE SENSING TOOLS

Abstract

Discharge and head are the fundamental parameters for hydropower potential assessment. The potential site should have good combination of these two parameters. In Afghanistan there are many sites which have best combination of these two parameters but still not explored for hydro projects. These sites are mostly located in hilly and mountainous regions. About 2/3rd of total area of Afghanistan is covered by high mountains with sharp slope and forest. In this study, the assessment of hydropower potential on Farah River Basin (FRB) of Afghanistan has been carried out by using ArcGIS and SWAT model. The hydropower potential is derived by two main parameters: head and discharge. Head is calculated for the river by using Digital Elevation Model (DEM), slope map and contour map. Thirty nine sites for hydro potential were identified within 22000 km2 watershed area of the river. The discharge of river is calculated by Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The watershed area is divided into 3 sub basins and discharges are calculated in each subbasin outlet. The 75% design discharge calculated from flow duration curve organized by the average discharges computed through model and including 10% deduction of flow for environmental perspective are 14.3 cumecs, 3.97 cumecs and 6.11 cumecs for subbasin 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The total hydropower potential calculated is approx 66.036 MW for the Farah River Basin (FRB). The hydropower assessment by using ArcGIS, Hydrological model and remote sensing tools in integration is not only cost effective but also less time-consuming. It shows the way to possibly shown the catchment characteristics, watersheds and provisional location for hydropower plants. Moreover, the overall hydropower potential of Afghanistan are assessed, including the installed hydel projects, under construction hydel project and planed hydel projects in next five years. In the meantime the assessment water resources in different river regions of Afghanistan studies are carried out