Raidāk River

Raidāk River/Wang Chhu
Relief map showing the passage of the Raidak River into the larger Brahmaputra
Location
Country	Bhutan, India, Bangladesh
Physical characteristics
Mouth
• location	Brahmaputra River
Length	370 kilometres (230 mi)
Basin features
Progression	Thimphu, Rinpung Dzong, Chukha hydel project, Tala hydel project, Tufanganj

The Raidāk River, also called Wang Chhu or Wong Chhu in

Bhutan

The Wang Chhu, or Raidāk, rises in the

It debouches into the plains in

The total length of the main river is 370 kilometres (230 mi) but along with its tributaries, it covers a length of nearly 610 kilometres (380 mi) in Bhutan alone.[1]^[8]

Chukha hydel plant

The 336MW Chukha hydel project, which harnesses the waters of the Wang Chhu or Raidak River, was historically one of the largest single investments undertaken in Bhutan, and it represented a major step toward exploiting the country's huge hydroelectric potential. It was built by India on a turnkey basis, with India providing 60% of the capital in a grant and 40% in a loan at highly concessional terms and conditions. In the arrangement, India receives in turn all the electricity generated from the project in excess of Bhutan’s demand at much cheaper prices than India’s generation cost from alternative sources. Located between Thimphu and the Indian border, a 40 metres (130 ft) diversion dam was built at Chimakoti village, 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) upstream of the confluence of the Ti Chhu and Wong Chhu rivers. From the dam water was diverted through 6.5-kilometre (4.0 mi) long tunnels to a fall of more than 300 metres (980 ft) to Chukha power house for generation of electricity. Construction started in 1974 and completed in 1986–88.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

Tala hydroelectric plant

References