Every living being without any doubt requires water to survive on this planet. Water is essential for everything from survival to our basic needs. Every country determines its own method to conserve and make optimum use of water. Since India is an agricultural country it requires a lot of water to grow the crops. Storing water effectively in the monsoon season is essential to support lives, man-made dams and reservoirs play a vital role in the process of storing water and management. Dated back to 3,000 BC Jawa Dam in Jordan is the oldest dam in history.
The beautiful dams of India are not only involved in storing water, generating hydroelectricity, and preventing floods but have also transmuted into tourist spots that provide picturesque views, peace, and adventure. In India, there are around 5,334 dams in many of which are for multipurpose activities. India ranked third for having the largest dams in the world after the United States and China.
Advantages of Dams
1- Dams are very useful to generate hydropower and ease river transportation.
2- Dams are undoubtedly important in preventing floods. Dams support the regulation of floodwater by managing it for other uses, holding an excess amount of water, or releasing it with all the precautions.
3- Dams act as a barrier against the natural disastrous flow of water. It supports the regulation of riverbed flow, as well as protects those living in the valley.
4- There is too much waste of water everywhere, dams provide water conservation for future generations.
Disadvantages of Dams
1- Reservoirs produce large amounts of greenhouse gases. It also affects the level of river flow and water table.
2- Dams protect people from floods but on the other hand they also cause displacement for the people living near the dam during construction.
3- The cost to construct and redesign dams is very high.
So here is the list of the Top 5 largest dams in India with a detailed explanation of their features and location:
1- Tehri Dam
Located in the state of Uttarakhand Tehri Dam is one of the highest dams in Asia and the highest dam in India. With a height of 260 meters, length of 575 meters, base width of 1,128 meters, and crest width of 20 meters. Tehri dam takes water from the rivers Bhilangana and Bhagirathi in the Himalayas. This dam is the India’s major hydroelectric water project. Apart from delivering water for irrigation and everyday use, the dam generates 1,000 MW of Hydroelectricity.
As per the project, it is capable of providing water to about 40 lakh people in Delhi and 30 Lakh people in Uttar Pradesh.
The idea of Tehri Dam was conceived in 1961 and the work to turn this imagination into reality was undertaken in 1978. Despite of many challenges and objections to the dam’s construction due to possible environmental hazards and development delays due to a shortage of funds, the dam was finally constructed in 2006 with the help of the USSR overcoming all the financial and economic issues.
2- Bhakra Nangal Dam
Located in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh it is the second largest dam in Asia. With a height of 226 meters and length of 520 meters. The reservoir of Bhakra Nangal is the second largest reservoir and can hold up to 9.34 billion cubic meters of water. The dam has 10 power generators on either side that protect the farm from damage during the monsoon. This dam roughly covers an area of 7,501,775 acres and has the ability to produce 1,375 MW of electricity.
Nangal Dam is a separate Dam but it is very close to Bhakra Dam, so they are referred as Bhakra Nangal Dam.
3- Sardar Sarovar Dam
Located in the Narmada district of Gujrat Sardar Sarovar Dam is built on the Narmada river. It is one of the largest dams in the world. It has a height of 138.6 meters and a length of 1210 meters.
The dam provides drinking water, hydropower, and irrigation water to the people of Gujarat. This dam provides water and energy not only in Gujarat but also in other states like Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
4- Hirakud Dam
Constructed on Mahanadi River it is one of the longest dams in the world. The dam is the longest man-made dam in the world and is known for being the first multi-purpose dam in India. The dam has a height of 60.96 meters and a length of 61 meters.
Sardar Sarovar Dam has a reservoir capacity of 4,779,965 acres and works as a flood control system. It produces 347.5 MW of power, which is supplied through adjacent areas across the Mahanadi basin.
5- Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Constructed on the Krishna River of Andhra Pradesh Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is the largest masonry dam in the world. It was opened by Jawaharlal Nehru. The dam was constructed between 1955 and 1967 and has 26 gates. The dam was named after the Acharya Nagarjuna Sagar a Buddhist Monk. It has a height of 124 meters and a length of 1550 meters. It has India’s second-largest reservoir with a reservoir capacity of 11,472 million cubic meters.
6- Indira Sagar Dam
Located on the Narmada River, it is the largest dam in India. The dam has a height of 92 meters and a length of 653 meters. On 23 October 1984, the Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone of the project. The dam supplies water for irrigation to 1,230 square km of land and it has a power generation capacity of 1,000 MW.
7- Ranjit Sagar Dam
Ranjit Sagar Dam is the part of Hydroelectric Project which is constructed on the Ravi River by the Punjab Irrigation Department. It has a height of 162 meters and a length of 518 meters. The dam is used to provide water and generate power it is the largest hydroelectric dam project in Punjab with a capacity of 600 MW.
8- Koyna Dam
It is a rubble-concrete dam which is located in Koyna Nagar. The dam has a height of 103.2 meters and a length of 807.2 meters. The main aim of this dam is to provide water and hydroelectricity to the neighborhood people. It is the second largest hydroelectric project in India with a capacity of 1,960 Megawatt.
9- Koldam Dam
Built on the Satluj River, it is one of the famous tourist attractions which is located 18 kilometers from Bilaspur. The dam was built by National Thermal Power Corporation Limited to provide water and hydroelectric power it also supports the power station of 800 Megawatts. There are 12 radial crest gates in the dam.
10- Chamera Dam
Located in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. It has a height of 226 meters and a length of 295 meters. The main aim of the dam is to provide irrigation water and hydroelectricity to the people living near the dam.
