The Bhakra-Nangal Dam is the second tallest dam in Asia and located on the border of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. It is the highest straight gravity dam in India with a height of about 207.26 meters and it runs across 168.35 km.
Bhakra Nangal Dam has a length of 518.25(1,700 ft) meters and a width of 9.1 meters (30ft) approximately.
On October 22, 2013, the government of India approved the release of a stamp to mark the 50th anniversary of the dam as it was the only dam that could produce 1500 MW power during that time.
Bhakra Nangal Dam History:
The Bhakra-Nangal dam is one of the earliest river valley development schemes undertaken after the independence of India.
The project was signed by then Punjab Revenue Minister Sir Chhotu Ram in November 1944 with the king of Bilaspur and was finalised on January 8, 1945.
The construction of the multipurpose dam was initially started in 1984 by the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Sir Louis Dane.
But, it got delayed and it was resumed after independence under the chief Architect Rai Bahadur Kunwar Sen Gupta.
The dam was completed in 1963, and it was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Bhakra Nangal Dam Features:
The Bhakra dam is built on Sutlej River. It is Asia’s second tallest dam with a height of around 207.26 meters after the Tehri dam, which has a height of around 261 meters. The Tehri dam is also situated in India in the state of Uttarakhand.
The Gobind Sagar reservoir of the dam has a capacity to store water up to 9.34 billion cubic meters, which is enough water to flood the whole of Chandigarh, parts of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi.
The Govind Sagar is an 88 km long and 8 km wide reservoir. The reservoir is named after the tenth guru of Sikh community, Guru Gobind Singh.
The dam is the second largest reservoir in India after the Indira Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh in terms of water storage.
Bhakra Nangal Dam Uses:
Irrigation: The primary use of the dam is irrigation, storing rainwater. The dam provides irrigation water to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh.
Electricity: The water of Bhakra dam is also used to provide electricity for states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh.
It has ten hydroelectric power generators on each side. Generators for the left power station were basically provided by Hitachi, Japan and upgraded to present capacity by Sumitomo, Hitachi and Andritz.
The generators for the left side were provided by the Soviet Union and later upgraded to present capacity by Russia. Both the powerhouses have a total capacity of 1325 MW.
The left powerhouse has a capacity of 3 * 108 MW and the right powerhouse has a capacity of 5 * 157 MW.
Tourism: Bhakra dam is also a major attraction for tourists. The place is also provided with an opportunity to try water sports at Gobind Lake, an artificial lake formed on river Sutlej.
Tourists can also experience jungle safari, nearby wildlife sanctuary and visit the temple of Naina Devi.
Bhakra Nangal Dam Management:
A body called Bhakra Management Board (BMB) is assigned for the administration, maintenance and operation of the dam.
The administrative body was constituted in 1966 and came into work from October 1, 1967.
The members of the board are appointed by the government of India and the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Chandigarh.
The Bhakra Management Board was renamed to Bhakra Beas Management Board on May 15, 1976, to manage the dams on river Beas also.
The Bhakra Beas Management Board works for the regulation and operation of Bhakra dam, Dehar hydroelectricity project, Pong dam, Ganguwal and Kotla power station.
