It’s great that you recognize the importance of General Awareness in various government exams, and dams are indeed a crucial topic within this section. Having knowledge about dams in India is essential, given their significance in terms of water resource management, irrigation, and power generation.
If you have a list of dams in India in PDF format, that can be a valuable resource for your preparation. Make sure to go through the details of each dam, including its location, river, purpose, and any recent developments or controversies associated with it.
Additionally, you might want to focus on some key aspects related to dams, such as:
Major Rivers: Understand the rivers on which these dams are built. This will help you connect the dots and remember the locations more effectively.
Purposes of Dams: Dams serve various purposes like irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, flood control, and water supply. Knowing the primary purpose of each dam can be beneficial.
Notable Dams: Some dams might be more important or well-known than others. Focus on these, as they are more likely to be asked in exams.
Recent Developments: Stay updated on any recent developments, such as new dam constructions, repairs, or controversies surrounding existing dams.
Dams in India
Geography
- Rivers of India
- International Border of India
- Dems of India
What is the Dam?
A dam is a barrier that stops the flow of water and results in the creation of a reservoir. Dams are mainly built in order to produce electricity by using water. This form of electricity is known as hydroelectricity.
Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aquaculture, and navigability.
Types of Dams
There are many dams in India, and hence there is a need to know about them as there are questions based on the dams of India. The Bank Exams like IBPS or SBI contains questions from this section.
Based on the structure the types of dams are as mentioned below:
Arch Dam: An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in the plan. It is designed so that the hydrostatic pressure (force of the water against it) presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthening the structure as it pushes into its foundation or abutments. An arch dam is most suitable for narrow canyons or gorges with steep walls of stable rock to support the structure and stresses.
Gravity Dam: Dams constructed from concrete or stone masonry are Gravity dams. They are designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. These are designed in such a way that each section of the dam is stable and independent of other section.
Arch-Gravity Dam: This dam has the characteristics of both an arch dam and a gravity dam. It is a dam that curves upstream in a narrowing curve that directs most of the water pressure against the canyon rock walls. The inward compression of the dam by the water reduces the lateral (horizontal) force acting on the dam.
Barrages: A barrage is a type of low-head, diversion dam which consists of a number of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing through. This allows the structure to regulate and stabilize river water elevation upstream for use in irrigation and other systems.
Embankment Dams: An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay, or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and a dense, impervious core.
Rock-Fills Dams: Rock-fill dams are embankments of compacted free-draining granular earth with an impervious zone. The earth utilized often contains a high percentage of large particles, hence the term “rock-fill”.
Major Dams in India
THERE ARE SOME BENEFITES OF DAMS
- The major dams in India have helped the inhabitants in a number of ways like:
- Providing adequate water for domestic, industry and irrigation purposes.
- Hydroelectric power production and river navigation.
- These major dams in India and their reservoirs provide recreation areas for fishing and boating.
- They have helped in the reduction of floods.
Highlights on some important Dams in India:
Dams in India | ||
Highest Dam in India | Tehri Dam(Uttarakhand) | Height: 260.5 meters Length: 575 meters River: Bhagirathi River Location: Uttarakhand Year of completion: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 Location: Odisha Year of completion:1953 |
Oldest Dam in India | Kallanai Dam(Tamil Nadu) | River: Kaveri Location: Tamil Nadu Year of completion: 100 BC –100 AD |
List of Dams Of India is an important static GK topic in terms of UPSC syllabus.
The list of some major dams in India have been given below:
List Of Major Dams in India | State | River |
Bhavani Sagar dam | Tamil Nadu | Bhavani |
Tungabhadra Dam | Karnataka | Tungabhadra |
Rihand Dam | Uttar Pradesh | Rihand |
Maithon Dam | Jharkhand | Barakar |
Koyna Dam | Maharashtra | Koyna |
Bisalpur Dam | Rajasthan | Banas |
Mettur Dam | Tamil Nadu | Kaveri |
Krishnarajasagar Dam | Karnataka | Kaveri |
Indira Sagar Dam | Madhya Pradesh | Narmada |
Cheruthoni Dam | Kerala | Cheruthoni |
Sardar Sarovar Dam | Gujarat | Narmada |
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam | Telangana | Krishna |
Hirakud dam | Odisha | Mahanadi |
Bhakra Nangal Dam | Punjab-Himachal Pradesh Border | Sutlej |
Tehri Dam | Uttarakhand | Bhagirathi |
The details on a few of the Largest Dams in India have been given below:
1. Tehri Dam
The Tehri Dam is located in the state of Uttarakhand. It is the highest Dam in India with a height of 260.5 metres. It is also listed in the top ten highest dams in the world. This Dam is situated on the river Bhagirathi.
- Height of the Dam- 260.5 m
- Length of the Dam- 575 m
- Type of Dam- Rock fill
- The reservoir capacity- 21,00,000 acre feet
- Capacity that is installed- 1000 Megawatt
2. Bhakra Nangal Dam
The Bhakra Nangal Dam is located in the state of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. It is the largest dam in India having a height of 225 metres and also in the second position in the largest dams in all over Asia. It is situated on the river Sutlej.
- Height of the Dam- 226 m
- Length of the Dam- 520m
- Type of Dam- Concrete Gravity
- The reservoir capacity- 75,01,775 acre feet
- Capacity that is installed- 1325 Megawatt
3. Hirakud Dam
The Hirakud Dam is located in the state of Orissa. It is the longest dam in India with a total length of 25.79 km. It is also in the list of the longest dams in the world. The Hirakud Dam is situated on the river Mahanadi.
- Height of the Dam- 61 m
- Length of the Dam- 4.8 km (Main Dam)
- Type of Dam- Composite Dam
- The reservoir capacity- 47,79,965 acre feet
- Capacity that is installed- 347.5 Megawatt
4. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
The Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is located in the state of Telangana. It is India’s largest Masonry Dams built till date. It is the largest manmade lake in the world. It has 26 gates and is 1.55 km in length. It is situated on the river Krishna.
- Height of the Dam- 124m
- Length of the Dam- 4863 m (Total Lenght)
- Type of Dam- Masonry Dam
- The reservoir capacity- 93,71,845 acre feet
- Capacity that is installed- 816 Megawatt
5. Sardar Sarovar Dam
The Sardar Sarovar Dam is located in the state of Gujarat. It is the largest dam in the Narmada Valley Project. This Dam is to benefit the other neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. It is situated on the river Narmada River.
- Height of the Dam- 163m
- Length of the Dam- 1210m
- Type of Dam- Gravity Dam
- The reservoir capacity- 77,00,000 acre-feet
- Capacity that is installed- 1450 Megawatt
