Bhakra Dam - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Bhakra Dam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Coordinates: 312439N 76260E
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam across the Satluj

River in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh in northern India.
Bhakra Dam
The dam, located at a gorge near the (now submerged)

upstream Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal
Pradesh of 226 m. India's tallest dam is "tehri dam "of
265 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 Indira Sagar 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 town.
The Bhakra Dam
Nangal dam is another dam downstream of Bhakra dam.

Sometimes both the dams together are called Bhakra-Nangal
dam though they are two separate dams.
1 History
2 Features
2.1 Irrigation
2.2 Electricity generation
3 Management
3.1 Tourism
4 Displacement of People
5 See also
6 Notes
7 External links
Bhakra Dam in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh

Official name
Bhakra Dam
Location
Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh,

India
312439N 76260E
Coordinates
Construction began 1948
The Bhakra-Nangal multipurpose dams were among the

earliest river valley development schemes undertaken by
India after independence though the project had been
Opening date
1963
Construction cost
245.28 crore INR in 1963
Dam and spillways

Type of dam
Concrete gravity
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conceived long before India became a free nation.

Preliminary works commenced in 1946. Construction of the
dam started in 1948, Jawahar Lal Nehru poured the first
bucket of concrete into the foundations of Bhakra on 18
November 1955 [3] and the dam was completed by the end of
1963. Successive stages were completed by the early 1970s.
Initially, the construction of the dam was started by Sir Louis
Dane, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab. But the project got
delayed and was restarted soon after Independence under the
chief architect Rai Bahadur Kunwar Sen Gupta who is also
the great grandfather of the famous Jayant Gupta. In October
1963 at the ceremony to mark the dedication of the Bhakra
Nangal project to the nation, Prime Minister Jawaharlal
Nehru said, "This dam has been built with the unrelenting toil
of man for the benefit of mankind and therefore is worthy of
worship. May you call it a Temple or a Gurdwara or a
Mosque, it inspires our admiration and reverence". On 22
October 2013, the Government of India approved the release
of a commemorative stamp to mark the 50th anniversary of
the Bhakra Dam.
Impounds
Satluj River
Height
741 ft (226 m)
Length
1,700 ft (520 m)
Width (crest)
30 ft (9.1 m)
Width (base)
625 ft (191 m)
Spillway type
Controlled, overflow
Reservoir
Creates
Gobindsagar Reservoir
Total capacity
9.340 km3
Surface area
168.35 km2
Power station
Commission date
1960-1968
Turbines
5 x 108 MW, 5 x 157 MW

Francis-type
Installed capacity
1325 MW
Bhakra Dam bridge

Characteristics
The dam, at 741 ft (226 m), is one of the highest gravity dams Total length
1700 feet
in the world (compared to USA's largest Hoover Dam at
30 feet
Width
743 ft). The 166 km Gobindsagar Reservoir, named after
Guru Gobind Singh, is created by this dam which is the third
largest reservoir in India the first being Indira Sagar Dam and second Nagarjunasagar Dam.[4] 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 Sutluj-Beas river valley, to provide irrigation to adjoining states and to provide hydro-electricity. It also
became a tourist spot for the tourists during later years because of it huge size and uniqueness.
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 (40,000 km) of fields
in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
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
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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.[5][6]
Generators for the right side were originally supplied by Soviet Union and later upgraded to the present capacity
by Russia.[7] 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.[8]
The power generated at Bhakra Dam is distributed among partner states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan,
Himachal Pradesh, 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.[9][10][11]
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 are
appointed by the government of India and by the states of Punjab, 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 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 Hyroelectric
Project, Pong dam, Ganguwal and Kotla power stations.[12]
Tourism
Being the second highest dam in India after Tehri Dam, it attracts a large number of tourists who visit its
reservoir and attractive location. The distance between the Ganguwal and Bhakra Dam is about 3035 km.
The large reservoir created by the dam displaced a large population 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.[13]
Dehar hydroelecric project, Pandoh dam

Koldam Dam being constructed upstream
List of dams and reservoirs in India
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1. "Central Water Commission website".

2. http://bbmb.gov.in/english/history_nangal_dam.asp accessed on 14 November 2009
3. http://www.hindu.com/2005/11/18/stories/2005111800280900.htm accessed on 14 December 2009, published at the
link on 18 November 2005 (according to the page, the original story was published on 18 November 1955).
4. "India: National Register of Large Dams 2009" (PDF). Central Water Commission. Archived (PDF) from the original
on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
5. "Hitachi, Ltd. and Sumitomo Corporation Secure Contract with India's Bhakra Beas ManagementBoard to Renovate
Hydroelectric Power Station Sumitomo Corporation". Sumitomo Corporation. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
6. "Dams show promise of filling early - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
7. "Bhakra right bank power house dedicated - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
8. "New Page 1". bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
9. "BBMB - Ganguwal". bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
10. "BBMB - Kotla". bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
11. "ANANDPUR SAHIB HYDEL PROJECT (134 MW)". www.pspcl.in. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
12. "New Page 1". bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
13. "50 years on, Bhakra Dam oustees wait for rehabilitation - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved
2016-01-08.
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 (http://bhakranangaldam.com/)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bhakra_Dam&oldid=703731187"
Categories: Hydroelectric power stations in Himachal Pradesh Rupnagar Dams in Himachal Pradesh
Dams completed in 1963 Dams on the Sutlej River Energy infrastructure completed in 1968
1963 establishments in India
This page was last modified on 7 February 2016, at 07:48.
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Bhakra Dam - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 312439N 76260E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam across the Satluj

The dam, located at a gorge near the (now submerged)

The Bhakra Dam

Nangal dam is another dam downstream of Bhakra dam.

Bhakra Dam in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh

Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh,

Construction began 1948

The Bhakra-Nangal multipurpose dams were among the

245.28 crore INR in 1963

Dam and spillways