7/14/2019 Bhakra Dam - Wikipedia

Coordinates:
Coordinates:31°24′39″N
31°24′39″N76°26′00″E
76°26′0″E

Bhakra Dam
Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Sutlej River in Bilaspur,
mansarovar dam
Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind Sagar
reservoir.

The dam, located at a gorge near the (now submerged) upstream Bhakra
village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh of height 226 m.[1] The
length of the dam (measured from the road above it) is 518.25 m and the
width is 9.1 m. Its reservoir known as "Gobind Sagar" stores up to 9.34
billion cubic metres of water. The 90 km long reservoir created by the
Bhakra Dam is spread over an area of 168.35 km2. In terms of quantity of
water, it is the third largest reservoir in India, the first being Indirasagar
dam in Madhya Pradesh with capacity of 12.22 billion cu m and second
Nagarjunasagar Dam.

Described as "New Temple of Resurgent India" by Jawaharlal Nehru,[2]

the first prime minister of India, the dam attracts tourists from all over
India. Bhakra dam is 15 km from Nangal city and 20 km from Naina Devi
The Bhakra Dam
town.

Nangal Dam is another dam in Punjab downstream of Bhakra Dam.

However, sometimes both the dams together are called Bhakra-Nangal
Dam though they are two separate dams.

Contents
History
Features
Irrigation
Electricity generation
Fishing
Bhakra Dam in Bilaspur, Himachal
Management Pradesh
Tourism
Official name Bhakra Dam
Displacement of People
Location Bilaspur,
See also
Himachal
Notes
Pradesh, India
External links
Coordinates 31°24′39″N
76°26′0″E

History Construction began 1948

Opening date 1963
The Bhakra-Nangal multipurpose dams were among the earliest river
valley development schemes undertaken by India after independence Construction cost Rs.245.28
though the project had been conceived long before India became a free crore in 1963
nation. The agreement for this project had been signed by the then Punjab Dam and spillways
Revenue Minister, Sir Chhotu Ram in November 1944 with Raja of
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Bilaspur and finalised the project plan on 8 January 1945. Preliminary Type of dam Concrete
works commenced in 1946. Construction of the dam started in 1948; gravity
Jawaharlal Nehru poured the first bucket of concrete into the dry riverbed Impounds Satluj River
of the Sutlej on 17 November 1955, as a symbolic initiation of the work.
Height 741 ft (226 m)
Addressing a gathering there, he said, "This is a gift to the people of India
and to the future generations from the workers who built this dam", Length 1,700 ft
calling for "rais[ing] a memorial" at the dam "in honour" of the (520 m)
workers.[3] The dam was completed by the end of 1963. Successive stages Width (crest) 30 ft (9.1 m)
were completed by the early 1970s. Width (base) 625 ft (191 m)

Initially, the construction of the dam was started by Sir Louis Dane, the Spillway type Controlled,
Lieutenant Governor of Punjab. But the project got delayed and was overflow
restarted soon after independence under the chief architect Rai Bahadur Reservoir
Kunwar Sen Gupta. It was financed entirely by the union government. Creates Gobindsagar
The Control Board for the project included representatives from union Reservoir
government, and of the governments of Punjab, Patiala and East Punjab
Total capacity 9.340 km3
States Union, Rajasthan, Bilaspur and Himachal Pradesh. The
organisation evolved for the purpose of design and construction was Surface area 168.035 km2
divided into three parts. The Designs Directorate provided the designs Power Station
and drawings. The Construction and Plant Design Directorate was to look Commission date 1960-1968
after its execution and installing of the plant, while the Directorate of
Turbines 5 x 108 MW, 5
Inspection and Control ensured that the specifications are accorded to
x 157 MW
safety requirements were met.[4]
Francis-type
In October 1963, at the ceremony to mark the dedication of the Bhakra– Installed capacity 1325 MW
Nangal project to the nation, Prime Minister Nehru said, "This dam
has been built with the unrelenting toil of man for the benefit of Bhakra Dam bridge
mankind and therefore is worthy of worship. May you call it a Coordinates 31°24′39″N 76°26′00″E
Temple or a Gurdwara or a Mosque, it inspires our admiration and
Characteristics
reverence". On 22 October 2013, the Government of India approved
the release of a commemorative stamp to mark the 50th Total length 1700 feet
anniversary of the Bhakra Dam. As how successful India was at that Width 30 feet
time that it was the only dam in Asia which could produce 1500 MW
power.

Also, these are multipurpose projects.

Features
The dam, at 741 ft (226 m), is one of the highest gravity dams in the
world (compared to USA's largest Oroville Dam at 770 ft). The
166 km² Gobindsagar Reservoir, named after Guru Gobind Singh, is Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
created by this dam which is the third largest reservoir in India the
first being Indira Sagar Dam and second Nagarjunasagar Dam.[5] The river Satluj used to flow through a narrow gorge
between two hills, Naina Devi ki dhar and Ramgarh ki dhar, and the site was chosen to dam the river. The large map
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/india/nh-43-03.jpg shows the location of the original Bhakra village that was
submerged in the lake formed behind the dam.

Bhakra dam was part of the larger multipurpose Bhakra Nangal Project whose aims were to prevent floods in the
Satluj-Beas river valley, to provide irrigation to adjoining states and also to provide hydro-electricity. It also became a
tourist spot for the tourists during later years because of its huge size and uniqueness.

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It also has four spillway gates that are only used when the reservoir exceeds
the maximum allowed level.

Nangal dam is a barrage dam that is 10 km downstream of Bhakra dam

Irrigation
The dam holds excess waters during the monsoon and provides a regulated
release during the year. It also prevents damage due to monsoon floods.
The dam provides irrigation to 10 million acres of (40,000 km²) of fields in Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru with group of
Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. engineers who constructed Bhakra
Dam 03
Water flows from Bhakra Dam downstream Nangal dam where it is
controlled and released into Nangal Hydel Channel that later becomes
Bhakra Main Line after Ganguwal and Kotla power plants. The Bhakra main line is a canal that mostly supplies
irrigation water to the state of Haryana.

Electricity generation
Bhakra Dam has ten power generators with five on each side. Generators for the left power house were originally
supplied by Hitachi, Japan and upgraded to the present capacity by Sumitomo, Hitachi and Adritz.[6][7] Generators for
the right side were originally supplied by Soviet Union and later upgraded to the present capacity by Russia.[8] The
two power houses have a total capacity of 1325 MW. The left power house contain 3 x 108 MW and 2 x 126 MW
Francis turbines while the right has 5 x 157 MW.[9]

The power generated at Bhakra Dam is distributed among partner states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana,
Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi.

Three additional power plants are on the two canals Nangal Hydel Channel and Anandpur Sahib Hydel Channel that
originate from Nangal dam. Their generation capacities are : Ganguwal - 77.65 MW, Kotla - 77.65 MW and Anandpur -
134 MW.[10][11][12]

Fishing
The reservoir of the Dam, Gobind Sagar, homes fishes of different species
including endangered Mahseer. Commercial fishing by Local fisherman is
also common in Gobind Sagar.

Management
Bhakra Management Board (BMB) was constituted in 1966 for the
administration, maintenance and operation of Bhakra Nangal Project from
1 October 1967. It manages the operation of both the dams. Its members
Gobind Sagar Lake (Bhakra Dam
are appointed by the government of India and by the states of Punjab, Reservoir)
Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Chandigarh. Bhakra
Management Board was renamed Bhakra Beas Management Board
(BBMB) on 15 May 1976 to also manage dams on the river Beas. Since then the Bhakra Beas Management Board is
engaged in the regulation of the supply of water and power from Bhakra Nangal Project and Beas Projects to the states
of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Chandigarh government.

The Bhakra Beas Management Board regulates, operates and manages Bhakra Dam, Dehar Hydroelectric Project,
Pong dam, Ganguwal and Kotla power stations.[13]
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Tourism
Being the fourth largest dam in India after Tehri Dam,[14] it attracts a large number of tourists who visit its reservoir
and attractive location. However, for security reasons, visitors to Bhakra-Nangal Dam has been banned since 2009.[15]

Displacement of People
The large reservoir created by the dam displaced a large population is from the district of Bilaspur. About 371 villages
were submerged. After 50 years of its completion, there is still a question of full resettlement of oustees.[16]

See also
Dehar hydroelecric project, Pandoh dam
Koldam Dam – being constructed upstream
List of dams and reservoirs in India

Notes
1. "Central Water Commission website" (https://web.archive.org/web/20130331020501/http://www.cwc.gov.in/main/w
ebpages/other%20projects.html#bhakra). Archived from the original (http://www.cwc.gov.in/main/webpages/othe
r%20projects.html#bhakra) on 31 March 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
2. http://bbmb.gov.in/english/history_nangal_dam.asp accessed on 14 November 2009
3. "Nehru Opens Work On Bhakra Dam" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4WllAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IZQNAAAA
IBAJ&pg=753%2C1027693). The Indian Express. 18 November 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
4. "Bhakra Dam Will Be Engineering Marvel" (https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=195
50904&printsec=frontpage). The Indian Express. 4 September 1955. p. 13. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
5. "India: National Register of Large Dams 2009" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110721165130/http://www.cwc.nic.i
n/main/downloads/National%20Register%20of%20Large%20Dams%202009.pdf) (PDF). Central Water
Commission. Archived from the original (http://www.cwc.nic.in/main/downloads/National%20Register%20of%20La
rge%20Dams%202009.pdf) (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
6. "Hitachi, Ltd. and Sumitomo Corporation Secure Contract with India's Bhakra Beas ManagementBoard to
Renovate Hydroelectric Power Station｜ Sumitomo Corporation" (http://www.sumitomocorp.co.jp/english/news/de
tail/id=26423). Sumitomo Corporation. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
7. "Dams show promise of filling early - Indian Express" (http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/dams-show-promise
-of-filling-early/805324/). archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
8. "Bhakra right bank power house dedicated - Times of India" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Bh
akra-right-bank-power-house-dedicated/articleshow/3997047.cms). The Times of India. Retrieved 9 January
2016.
9. "New Page 1" (http://bbmb.gov.in/english/menu2.asp). bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
10. "BBMB - Ganguwal" (http://bbmb.gov.in/english/ganguwal.asp). bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
11. "BBMB - Kotla" (http://bbmb.gov.in/english/kotla.asp). bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
12. "ANANDPUR SAHIB HYDEL PROJECT (134 MW)" (http://www.pspcl.in/docs/anandpur.htm). www.pspcl.in.
Retrieved 9 January 2016.
13. "New Page 1" (http://bbmb.gov.in/english/menu2.asp). bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
14. "Large Dams in India" (https://web.archive.org/web/20180322182807/http://india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.ph
p?title=Large_Dams_in_India). India WRIS Wiki - Water Resources Information System of India. Archived from
the original (http://india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.php?title=Large_Dams_in_India) on 22 March 2018.
Retrieved 24 July 2016.
15. "Visitors to Bhakra Nangal dam banned - The Times of India" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/V
isitors-to-Bhakra-Nangal-dam-banned/articleshow/4298328.cms). Retrieved 24 July 2016.

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16. "50 years on, Bhakra Dam oustees wait for rehabilitation - Times of India" (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi
a/50-years-on-Bhakra-Dam-oustees-wait-for-rehabilitation/articleshow/24504585.cms). The Times of India.
Retrieved 8 January 2016.

External links
Media related to Bhakra Dam at Wikimedia Commons

[1] (http://bbmb.gov.in/english/menu1.asp), Bhakra Beas Management Board

Site about Bhakra Nangal Dam (https://web.archive.org/web/20170202190527/http://www.bhakranangaldam.co
m/)
Large Dams in India (https://web.archive.org/web/20180322182807/http://india-wris.nrsc.gov.in/wrpinfo/index.ph
p?title=Large_Dams_in_India)

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