Kushal Baral
Civil Engineering · Hydropower · Hydrology
Profile
Kushal Baral is a civil engineer working on the design, hydrological and hydraulic analysis, and technical documentation of hydropower and water resource infrastructure.
His work covers hydropower components — intakes, waterways, penstocks, powerhouses and associated hydraulic structures — together with the hydraulic and hydrological calculations behind them: discharge optimisation, energy estimation, flood handling and sediment management.
He has contributed to feasibility studies and technical reporting for the Kimathanka Arun, Middle Gaddi Gad, Upper Karnali, Phukot Karnali and Tinau Multipurpose Storage projects, and to Due Diligence Appraisals for the Marsyangdi Besi, Upper Marsyangdi, Sagu Khola, Pegu Khola and Syalque Khola hydropower projects.
His research applies CMIP6 climate projections and ArcSWAT watershed modelling to streamflow, and he has co-authored two peer-reviewed papers on climate and land-use impacts in the Seti-Gandaki watershed — which is what lets design work here account for a catchment that is changing rather than one assumed static.
Areas of expertise
- Hydropower component design: intakes, waterways, penstocks, powerhouses and hydraulic structures
- Hydrological and hydraulic design calculations, discharge optimisation and energy estimation
- Flow duration curve based design discharge selection for RoR, PRoR and storage schemes
- Flood frequency analysis for a range of return periods, including PMF
- Climate change and hydrological risk assessment using CMIP6 projections
- Watershed and streamflow modelling with ArcSWAT
- GIS-based hydrological analysis and mapping
- Feasibility studies, detailed design, drawings, specifications and cost estimates
Selected assignments
- Kimathanka Arun Hydropower Project — feasibility and technical reporting
- Upper Karnali and Phukot Karnali Hydropower Projects
- Middle Gaddi Gad and Tinau Multipurpose Storage Projects
- Due Diligence Appraisals — Marsyangdi Besi, Upper Marsyangdi, Sagu Khola, Pegu Khola and Syalque Khola
Publications
- Climate change and land-use impacts on streamflow in the Seti-Gandaki watershed, Nepal — Journal of Sustainability and Environmental Management
- Streamflow modelling in the Seti-Gandaki watershed using ArcSWAT and CMIP6 projections — Journal of UTEC Engineering Management
Education
- M.Sc. Hydropower Engineering — Pulchowk Campus (IOE), Tribhuvan University, Nepal, 2023
- B.E. Civil Engineering — Kantipur Engineering College, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, 2018
Toolkit
Also on the team
Rajeeb BaralManaging Director- Ram ShresthaLiDAR & Geospatial Survey
Sandip AdhikariStructural Engineering
Sudeep ThapaHighway & Transportation
Nikesh BhattaraiBridge & Road Design
Susen ShresthaGlacio-hydrology & Climate
Amnaya PaudelEnergy & Electrical
Sirjana BaralSocio-economics
Srijana BhattaraiSocial Development
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