Hydropower Development: Experience

Abstract: Nepal is situated in the lap of Mount Everest and bordered by China to the North and India to the 0 0 0 0 22°N - 30 27°N and longitudes 80 04°E - 88 12°E. The south, east and west is located between latitudes 26 2 . has diverse physical characteristics in topography, climate, geology country with total land area of 147,181 km and land use system. The country is predominantly mountainous and the elevation ranges from 64 meter to 8848 meter above sea level. The mean annual precipitation ranges from more than 6000 mm along the southern slopes i.e. in central Nepal to less than 250 mm in the northern central portion near Tibetan Plateau. Varying annual precipitation between 1500 mm to 2500 mm predominates over most of the country. Based on the hydrological 3 with an average data, estimated annual run-off from 6000 rivers and rivulets of Nepal is about 220 billion m precipitation being 1530 mm per year.