Bhakra Dam

Bhakra Dam Latest News

Amid rising incidents of landslides during the monsoon season, a comprehensive geological study of the hillocks surrounding the Bhakra Dam is likely to be undertaken by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).

About Bhakra Dam

• It is a concrete gravity dam across the Sutlej River.
• It is located at a gorge near the upstream Bhakra village in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.
• It is near the border between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
• It is the highest straight gravity dam in the world, with a height of about 207.26 meters.
• It is Asia’s second tallest dam, next to the 261 m Tehri Dam, also in India. 
• History:
  • The Bhakra Dam is one of the earliest river valley development schemes undertaken by India after independence. 
  • The construction of this dam started in 1948, when Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, poured the first bucket of concrete into the foundations of Bhakra. 
  • The dam was completed by the end of 1963.
  • Bhakra Dam was described as the ‘New Temple of Resurgent India’ by Jawaharlal Nehru.
  • Operation and maintenance of the Bhakra dam is done by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB).
• The dam created the massive Gobind Sagar reservoir and plays a crucial role in irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric power generation for Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh. 
  • The 90 km long reservoir is spread over an area of 168.35 sq.km. 
  • In terms of storage of water, it is the second largest reservoir in India, the first being Indira Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh with a capacity of 12.22 billion cu m.
• Nangal Dam is another dam downstream of Bhakra Dam. Sometimes both the dams together are called the Bhakra-Nangal Dam, though they are two separate dams.
  • Nangal Dam is an earthen dam with a height of 29 meters and a length of 305 meters. 
  • It serves as an auxiliary dam to channel the water released from Bhakra Dam to two powerhouses.
  • The installed capacity of Bhakra Right Bank Power House is 785 MW, and that of Bhakra Left Bank Power House is 630 MW.

Source: NIE

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