The second tallest dam in India (after the Tehri dam), the Bhakra Nangal dam is one of the earliest and most important multipurpose river valley development projects, undertaken after India’s independence. it’s constructed on the river Sutlej. Bhakra and Nangal are in fact two different dams, but many times the name Bhakra Nangal dam is used together.
Bhakra dam is situated upstream of Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, while the Nangal dam is situated at Nangal, Punjab, about 13 km downstream of the Bhakra dam.
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History of Bhakra Nangal dam
- In 1908, Sir Louis Dane, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, suggested a reservoir to be built on Sutlej by building dams for storage and power development.
- However, due to prohibitive costs, the project was shelved. Over the decades, many other reports were submitted and studied, and finally in 1948 the Bhakra Nangal project actually took shape with the aim of providing irrigation, power generation, and preventing floods in the Sutlej-Beas river valley.
Construction of the Bhakra Nangal dam
- Construction of the Bhakra Nangal dam commenced in the year 1948 and was completed in 1963.
- It took a workforce of 13000 workers and 300 engineers to complete the project. More than 100 people lost their lives during the construction phase.
- On Oct 22nd, 1963, it was dedicated to the nation by then Prime Minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru, he called it the “New Temple of a Resurgent India”.
Features of Bhakra Nangal dam
- With a length of 518 meters and standing tall at 226 meters, Bhakra dam is the second tallest dam in India (after Tehri Dam, which is 260 m tall) and one of the highest gravity dams in the world.
- To give a perspective to its height, the dam is three times taller than the Qutub Minar. The dam’s reservoir is named ‘Gobind Sagar’, in honor of the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
- The 166 km² reservoir can hold 9 billion cubic meters of water, making it the third largest reservoir in India after Indira Sagar and Nagarjuna Sagar reservoirs.
- The dam has 4 flood control gates, with a maximum design discharge of 1997300 cubic feet per second.
- Its cost of construction was 2 billion INR, which in today’s currency valuation would be around 80 billion INR. In contrast, the Nangal dam is only 29 meters high and acts as a barrage dam 10 km downstream of the Bhakra dam.
Objectives of the Bhakra dam include Irrigation
- One of the main purposes of the dam is to store water for irrigation for more than 10 million acres of fields in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, by a regulated release throughout the year.
- The water flows down from the Bhakra dam downstream to the Nangal dam where it is controlled and released into the Nangal Hydel Channel. The dam also counteracts the damage caused due to monsoon floods.
Hydroelectric power generation
- The dam has two powerhouses on each side with 5 power generators each, with a total capacity of producing 1325 Mega Watts of power.
- Japanese company Hitachi originally supplied the Generators for the left powerhouse, upgraded to the present capacity by Sumitomo, Hitachi, and Andritz.
- Generators on the right side were provided by the then Soviet Union and upgraded by Russia to their present capacity. This power is distributed among many areas of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, and Delhi.
- In order to mark the 50th anniversary of the dam, on Oct 22nd, 2013, the Government of India released a stamp.
Bhakra Nangal Tourism
- Due to its humongous size and uniqueness, over the years, the Bhakra dam has also become a major attraction for tourists. However, due to security reasons, photography is totally prohibited near the dam.
- People visit to see the reservoir and other attractive locations like the temple of Naina Devi.
- They can also experience jungle safari in the nearby Gobind Sagar wildlife sanctuary. It is spread over an area of 10 hectares and is home to many reptiles and animals.
- The sanctuary is well connected by road from Shimla and Chandigarh.
Bhakra Nangal Fishing
Gobind Sagar reservoir is home to fish of various species. Commercial fishing is allowed in the reservoir, details of which can be acquired from Punjab Fisheries Department in Chandigarh.
Management of the dam
- To effectively manage the administration, maintenance, and operations of the Bhakra Nangal Project, the Bhakra Management Board was formed in 1966 and came into force on October 1, 1967.
- The Board members are appointed by the Government of India and by the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Chandigarh.
- On May 15, 1976, the Bhakra Management Board was renamed Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in order to also manage the dams on the river Beas.
- BBMB is now responsible for the regulation and management of Bhakra Dam, Dehar Hydroelectricity Project, Pong dam, Ganguwal, and Kotla power stations.
Huge Displacement of people from Bilaspur
The dam displaced a large population from the district of Bilaspur due to the large reservoir construction. It caused the submergence of about 371 villages. The dam makes 50 years but there is still a question of full resettlement of the displaced people.
Also read- Things You Should Know About Hirakud Dam, The World’s Longest Dam
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