India is regarded as the land of rivers and it has immense potential for the construction of massive dams because of its geographical features. To its north, it is the Himalayas Mountain range, with Plateaus in the middle whereas, in southern India, it has western and eastern ghats along the ocean boundaries of the country. India has already constructed numerous dams and water reservoirs. We have already constructed almost 5000 large dams. There are also So many projects in the pipeline.
What is Dam?
The dam is a barrier that blocks the flow of water resulting from the creation of a reservoir. These days dams are mainly built for the production of electricity that hydro-power generation. This form of electricity is called hydroelectricity. Reservoirs created by building dams help in preventing large-scale floods but also provide facilities such as irrigation for arable land, human consumption, industrial use, navigation, and aquaculture.
The oldest dam in the world is the Dam in Jordan, dating back to 3,000 BC.
Dams are one of the biggest concrete structures to be built on the Earth. It is today regarded as the lifeline structure as it serves numerous essential purposes such as irrigation, hydropower generation, flood prevention, and domestic and industrial water supply that are very important for human existence. It makes the dam a reliable structure. Dams are always designed for the highest safety and to resist the worst forces of nature.
Dam Name | Specifications | |
Highest Dam in India | Tehri Dam (Uttarakhand) | Height: 260.5 meters Length: 575 meters River: Bhagirathi River Built in:2006 (1st phase) |
Longest Dam in India | Hirakud Dam (Odisha) | Total Length: 25.79 km (16.03 mi) Length of Main Dam:4.8 km (3.0 mi) River: Mahanadi, Odisha Built on:1953 |
Oldest Dam in India | Kallanai Dam (Tamil Nadu) | River: Kaveri, Tamil Nadu Built on: 100 BC –100 AD |
Highest Power Generation | Tehri Dam (Uttarakhand) | Tehri Hydropower Complex – 2,400MW River: Bhagirathi River |
Highest Irrigating Dam | Indira Sagar Dam | Irrigation for 1,230 square kilometers of land River- Narmada, MP |
List of 15 major dams in India
Dam Name | River Name | Location |
Rihand Dam (1962) | Rihand | Uttar Pradesh |
Sardar Sarovar Dam | Narmada | Gujarat |
Bhavani Sagar dam | Bhavani | Tamil Nadu |
Tungabhadra Dam | Tungabhadra | Karnataka |
Maithon Dam | Barakar | Jharkhand |
Koyna Dam | Koyna | Maharashtra |
Bisalpur Dam | Banas | Rajasthan |
Mettur Dam | Kaveri | Tamil Nadu |
Krishnarajasagar Dam | Kaveri | Karnataka |
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam | Krishna
| Telangana |
Bhakra Nangal Dam | Sutlej | Punjab-Himachal Pradesh |
Cheruthoni Dam | Cheruthoni | Kerala
|
Indravati Dam | Indravati | Kalahandi |
Mullaperiyar Dam | Periyar | Idukki |
Almatti Dam | Krishna | Bijapur |
