Major Dams and Hydropower Projects in India

Major Dams in India
The major dams in India have helped the inhabitants in a number of ways like:
- Providing adequate water for domestic, industrial, and irrigation purposes.
- Hydroelectric power production and river navigation.
- These major dams in India and their reservoirs provide recreation areas for fishing and boating.
- They have helped in the reduction of floods.
Highlights on some important Dams in India | ||
Highest Dam in India | Tehri Dam(Uttarakhand) | Height: 260 meters Length: 575 meters River: Bhagirathi River Location: Uttarakhand Year of completion:2006 (1st phase) |
Longest Dam in India | Hirakud Dam (Odisha) | Total Length: 25.79 km (16.03 mi) Length of Main Dam:4.8 km (3.0 mi) River: Mahanadi Location: Odisha Year of completion:1953 |
Oldest Dam in India | Kallanai Dam(Tamil Nadu) | River: Kaveri Location: Tamil Nadu Year of completion: 100 BC –100 AD |
List of some Major Dams in India
List Of Major Dams in India | State | River |
Bhavani Sagar dam | Tamil Nadu | Bhavani |
Tungabhadra Dam | Karnataka | Tungabhadra |
Rihand Dam | Uttar Pradesh | Rihand |
Maithon Dam | Jharkhand | Barakar |
Koyna Dam | Maharastra | Koyna |
Bisalpur Dam | Rajasthan | Banas |
Mettur Dam | Tamil Nadu | Kaveri |
Krishnarajasagar Dam | Karnataka | Kaveri |
Indira Sagar Dam | Madhya Pradesh | Narmada |
Cheruthoni Dam | Kerela | Cheruthoni |
Sardar Sarovar Dam | Gujarat | Narmada |
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam | Andhra Pradesh | Krishna |
Hirakud dam | Odisha | Mahanadi |
Bhakra Nangal Dam | Punjab | Sutlej |
Tehri Dam | Uttarakhand | Bhagirathi |
The details on a few of the Largest Dams in India have been given below:
Tehri Dam
The Tehri Dam is located in the state of Uttarakhand. It is the highest Dam in India with a height of 216 meters. It is also listed in the top ten highest dams in the world. This Dam is situated on the river Bhagirathi.
- Height of the Dam- 260 m
- Length of the Dam- 575 m
- Type of Dam- Rockfill
- The reservoir capacity- 21,00,000 acre-feet
- Capacity that is installed- 1000 Megawatt
Bhakra Nangal Dam
The Bhakra Nangal Dam is located in the state of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. It is the largest dam in India having a height of 225 meters and also in the second position in the largest dams in all over Asia. It is situated on the river Sutlej.
- Height of the Dam- 226 m
- Length of the Dam- 520m
- Type of Dam- Concrete Gravity
- The reservoir capacity- 75,01,775 acre-feet
- The capacity that is installed- 1325 Megawatt
Hirakud Dam
The Hirakud Dam is located in the state of Orissa. It is the longest dam in India with a length of 26 km. It is also in the list of the longest dams in the world. The Hirakud Dam is situated on the river Mahanadi.
- Height of the Dam- 96 m
- Length of the Dam- 8km
- Type of Dam- Composite Dam
- The reservoir capacity- 47,79,965 acre-feet
- Capacity that is installed- 5 Megawatt
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
The Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is India’s largest Masonry Dams built till date. It is the largest manmade lake in the world. It has 26 gates and is 1.6 kms in length. It is situated on the river Krishna.
- Height of the Dam- 124m
- Length of the Dam- 1450m
- Type of Dam- Masonry Dam
- The reservoir capacity- 93,71,845 acre-feet
- Capacity that is installed- 816 Megawatt
Sardar Sarovar Dam
The Sardar Sarovar Dam is located in the state of Gujarat. It is the largest dam in the Narmada Valley Project. This Dam is to benefit the other neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. It is situated on the river Narmada River.
- Height of the Dam- 163m
- Length of the Dam- 1210m
- Type of Dam- Gravity Dam
- The reservoir capacity- 77,01,775 acre-feet
- Capacity that is installed- 1450 Megawatt
These are the Major Dams and Hydropower Projects in India. There are more dams in India but questions that are asked in the General Awareness section are based on these dams only.
List of Hydro Power Plants in India
- Tehri Dam
- Operator: THDC Limited, Uttarakhand
- Location: Uttarakhand
- Koyna Hydroelectric Project
- Operator: MAHAGENCO, Maharashtra State Power Generation Co Ltd.
- Location: Maharashtra
- Srisailam
- Operator: APGENCO
- Location: Andhra Pradesh
- Nathpa Jhakri
- Operator: Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam
- Location: Himachal Pradesh
- Sardar Sarovar Dam
- Operator: Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd
- Location: Navagam, Gujarat
- Bhakra Nangal Dam (Gobind Sagar)
- Operator: Bhakra Beas Management Board
- Location: Sutlej River, Bilaspur – Himachal Pradesh
- Chamera I
- Operator: NHPC Limited
- Location: Himachal Pradesh
- Sharavathi Project
- Operator: Karnataka Power Corporation Limited
- Location: Karnataka
- Indira Sagar Dam
- Operator: Narmada Valley Development Authority
- Location: Madhya Pradesh
- Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Plant
- Operator: Jaypee Group
- Location: Himachal Pradesh
- Dehar (Pandoh) Power Project
- Operator: Bhakra Beas Management Board
- Location: Himachal Pradesh
- Nagarjuna Sagar Dam Guntur
- Operator: Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation Limited
- Location: Andhra Pradesh
- Purulia Pass
- Operator: West Bengal Electricity Distribution Company
- Location: West Bengal
- Idukki
- Operator: Kerala State Electricity Board
- Location: Kerala
- Salal I & II
- Operator: NHPC Limited
- Location: Jammu & Kashmir
- Upper Indravati
- Operator: Odisha Hydro Power Corporation
- Location: Orissa
- Ranjit Sagar Dam
- Operator: Punjab State Power Corporation Limited
- Location: Punjab
- Omkareshwar
- Operator: Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation
- Location: Madhya Pradesh
- Belimela Dam
- Operator: Odisha Hydro Power Corporation
- Location: Orissa
- Teesta Dam
- Operator: NHPC Limited
- Location: Sikkim
Major Dams and Hydropower Projects in India PDF Download link below
Read More:
- Achievements: First in the World- PDF
- Important CEO and Company Headquarters- PDF
- Countries and Capitals with Currency and Language- PDF
- Important Sports & Games Terminologies- PDF
- Complete list of Important Trophies and Cups related to Sports- PDF
- Sources and Diseases caused by Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency- PDF
- Complete list of National and International Boundary Lines- PDF
- Complete List of Famous Indian Cities on River Banks- PDF
- Complete list of First Person in India (Male & Female)- PDF
- Longest, Largest, Tallest, Biggest & Highest in India- PDF
- Updated List of Geographical Indication (G.I) Tags in India- PDF
- Major Dams and Hydropower Projects in India- PDF