MAJOR DAMS AND MULTIPURPOSE RIVER VALLEY PROJECTS OF INDIA

PRERNA FOR IAS

         Mehnat Aapki, Guidance Humari

         Roz ki Prelims Practice — Experts ke Saath

MAJOR DAMS AND MULTIPURPOSE RIVER VALLEY PROJECTS OF INDIA

1. Introduction

• Dams and multipurpose river valley projects are developed for irrigation, hydroelectricity, drinking-water supply, flood moderation, navigation, fisheries and regional development.
• NCERT describes large multipurpose projects as an important part of post-Independence water-resource planning, while also highlighting their social and environmental costs.
• Major Indian projects are located across Himalayan as well as Peninsular river systems.

2. Bhakra–Nangal Project

• The Bhakra Dam is constructed across the Satluj River in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.
• It is a 225.55-metre-high concrete gravity dam and forms the Govind Sagar reservoir.
• The project is multipurpose, supporting irrigation and hydropower; its installed hydropower capacity is about 1,379 MW. (Bureau of Indian Standards)
• It has played a major role in expanding irrigated agriculture in north-western India.

3. Hirakud Dam Project

• Hirakud Dam is built across the Mahanadi River near Sambalpur in Odisha.
• Completed in the early post-Independence period, it is a composite earth, concrete and masonry dam.
• Its main dam is about 4.8 km long, while the dam together with adjoining dykes extends for about 25.8 km. (DRIP)
• Its principal purposes include flood control, irrigation and hydropower generation.

4. Nagarjuna Sagar Project

• Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is constructed on the Krishna River on the Telangana–Andhra Pradesh region.
• It is one of India’s major masonry-dam and irrigation projects.
• Its large canal network supports agriculture in the Krishna basin, while the project also generates hydroelectric power.
• The main dam power house has an installed capacity of about 815.6 MW, apart from canal power houses. (KRMB)

5. Sardar Sarovar Project

• The Sardar Sarovar Project is a major multipurpose project on the Narmada River in Gujarat.
• It supplies irrigation and drinking water to large areas, particularly water-scarce regions of Gujarat, and also generates hydroelectric power.
• The project illustrates both the developmental potential and controversies associated with large dams, including rehabilitation, displacement and ecological concerns.

6. Tehri Dam Project

• The Tehri Dam is built on the Bhagirathi River in Uttarakhand and is a major component of the Tehri Hydro Power Complex.
• At 260.5 metres, it is India’s highest dam and is an earth-and-rockfill structure. (THDC India Limited)
• The Tehri HPP has an installed capacity of 1,000 MW and also provides irrigation, drinking water and flood moderation.
• The wider Tehri complex now also includes a fully commissioned 1,000 MW pumped-storage plant, strengthening grid balancing and renewable-energy integration. (THDC India Limited)

7. Damodar Valley Project

• The Damodar Valley Project was conceived as a multipurpose river-basin development programme for the Damodar basin.
• Its objectives include flood control, irrigation, power generation, soil conservation and regional development.
• It became an important early example of integrated river-basin planning in independent India.

8. Rihand, Koyna and Tungabhadra Projects

• The Rihand Project in Uttar Pradesh created the large Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar reservoir and supports power and industrial development.
• The Koyna Project in Maharashtra is among India’s most important hydroelectric systems.
• The Tungabhadra Project in Karnataka is located on the Tungabhadra River and supports irrigation and hydropower.
• Official project records show the Tungabhadra Dam has multiple masonry, composite and earthen sections and a large reservoir used extensively for irrigation. (Tungabhadra Board)

9. Importance of Multipurpose Projects

• Such projects provide assured irrigation, electricity, drinking water, flood moderation, fisheries and employment.
• Reservoirs may also promote tourism, industrial growth and drought resilience.
• They have been central to India’s agricultural transformation and regional infrastructure development.

10. Challenges and Sustainable Management

• Large dams can also cause displacement, submergence of forests and farmland, sedimentation, altered river ecology and downstream-flow changes.
• They may generate inter-State disputes over water sharing and raise concerns about rehabilitation and environmental justice.
• Future policy should therefore combine dam safety, efficient irrigation, ecological flows, catchment conservation, transparent rehabilitation and basin-level planning.
• Multipurpose projects remain important national assets, but their benefits must be balanced with social equity, ecological sustainability and long-term water security.