HYDERABAD, May 16: Electricity generation has been badly affected at the Jamshoro Thermal power house and the Lakhra coal projects for several days due to the release of Manchhar lake's poisonous water in the River Indus.

The two stations obtained water from upstream of Kotri barrage for power generation and since the polluted water was being discharged in the River Indus, the officials had ordered closure of units.

"Three units are not working in the Lakhra coal project while only one unit is working in Jamshoro Thermal power station as two have been closed for want of clean water and one was already closed for maintenance purpose" an official said.

He said that since the entire chemistry of water had changed, resulting in a very high quantity of conductivity in water, it could damage the boilers therefore they had been closed.

He said that the Jamshoro thermal power station was providing only 120 mega watt of electricity to the national grid against required 600 mega watt. He maintained that if this poisonous water was used for the machine it would be harmful because fresh water was as important for these heavy machines as for human beings.

He pointed out that presently around 3,200 (conductivity) micro simen/centimetre square (MSCS) was available in water which should normally be 300 MSCS maximum. Same is the case in the Lakhra coal project where two units had been closed due to release of saline water.