How many Dams and Rivers are there in India?

A dam is a structure built as a barrier between the surface water flow and reservoirs that store water, that means Dams are a barrier construction that restricts the flow of water streams by raising their level to help build reservoirs.

India has the third largest number of dams in the world at 5,202 and the highest number of major dams in China (23841), followed by the USA(9263) with the 2nd highest. Generally, the construction of dams in India helps in power generation and water supply for irrigation purposes as well as aquaculture purposes, which are also part of the industrial sector and adequate water for domestic and city consumption. The Highest dam in India is Tehri Dam which was built on the Bhagirathi river, and the longest dam is Hirakud Dam in Odisha built on the river Mahanadi, and the oldest dam in India is Kallanai Dam in Tamil Nadu, built on the Kaveri river. Depending on the use of dams, India has three types: Storage dams, Diversion dams, and Detention dams.

A river is a natural flow of water on the earth’s surface through well-structured channels towards an ocean, lake, or another river. where These well-constructed channels depend on the nature of the soil, rock formation, topography, geological period, slope, etc.

In India more than 70 % of the river basin is occupied by rivers oriented toward the Bay of Bengal and nearly 30 % of the river basin is occupied by rivers discharging their waters in the Arabian Sea. We can classify the Indian River System into two types namely the Himalayan river system and the Peninsular river system. The major rivers of the Himalayan river system are the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Ganga, Kosi, Yamuna and Brahmaputra. The major rivers in the peninsular river system are Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, and Sabarmati.

Major Dams and Rivers of India

Tehri Dam – Uttarakhand 

It is the highest dam in India and is among the world’s top 10 highest dams. Tehri started its initial construction work between 1961 and 1978, however, the dam was completed in 2006 with help from the USSR, overcoming economic and financial hurdles. Tehri Dam is located on the Bhagirathi River in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. The dam type is a high rock and earth embankment dam with a height of 260.5 meters (855 ft) and 575 meters (1,886 ft) long, which serves as a multi-purpose dam.

The dam Complex has established the largest hydroelectric plant with a capacity of 2400 MW. The dam supplies drinking water to nearly 40 lakh people living in Delhi and nearly 30 lakh people living around Uttar Pradesh. It supplies water to almost 270000 hectares of agricultural land in Uttarakhand, New Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. The Tehri Dam is concerned with some environmental issues as its damned location lies on a major geological fault zone in the Himalayan foothills, which is prone to earthquakes.

Bhagirathi River

Bhagirathi River is a Himalayan river that flows in Uttarakhand state and is one of the headstreams of the Ganga river. Alakananda Glacier is the main source stream of the Bhagirathi River. The river is 205 km long and has a river basin area of ​​6921 sq km. The tributes of the Bhagirathi River is Kedar Ganga, Kakora Gad, Asi Ganga, Jadh Ganga, Siyan Gad, and Bhilangna River.

Hirakud Dam – Odisha

 The construction of the dam started in 1948 and came into existence in 1957 as one of the world’s longest earthen dams on the Mahanadi River. It was India’s first multi-purpose river valley project, inaugurated by former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the city of Sambalpur, Odisha. The dam has two observation towers, which are  ‘Gandhi Minar’ and ‘Nehru Minar’. The dam measures 25.8 km long and is a 55 km long reservoir.

The entire installed capacity of the hydroelectric powerhouse complex of the dam is 347.5 MW. The major purpose of the dam is to prevent flooding in the Mahanadi delta and centered Chhattisgarh plain. It also supplies water to these areas of agricultural land. The dam channel has an ideal environment for many species, fauna, and flora wildlife. Dibrugarh Wildlife Sanctuary is located here and is famous for many migratory birds.

Mahanadi River

It is one of the major rivers of the east-central region of India, flowing through the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha and finally merging into the Bay of Bengal. The total length of this river is 900 km. The catchment area of ​​the river is 132100 sq km. Major agricultural fields depend on the network of canals that originate from this river. Rice, oilseeds, and sugarcane are the major crops in this river basin. The major tributaries of Mahanadi are Jonk, Seonath, Mand, Hasdeo, Ib, Tel, Ong, etc.

Kallanai Dam – Tamil Nadu

It is the oldest ancient dam in India that is still in use and the 4th oldest water-regulator structure in the world. Another name for Kallanai is known as “Grand Anicut”. It was built in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu in 150 AD during the Chola Empire by King Karikalan. It is built across the Kaveri River.  The main purpose of the Kallanai Dam is to divert Kaveri waters across the fertile delta region for irrigation through canals. The dam divides the river Kaveri into 4 streams namely Kollidam Aru, Kaveri, Vennari, and Puthu Aru.

Kaveri River

It is the main river of India with a length of 800 km and flows through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu before finally joining the Bay of Bengal. It originates at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range of the Western Ghats in state of the state of Karnataka. It is the third largest river after Godavari and Krishna in southern India. The main tributaries of the Kaveri river are Hemavati, Harangi, Bhavani, Kabini, Noyyal, Lakshmana Tirtha, and Amravati.

FAQ on Rivers and Dams

Question 1: Briefly describe the dam system in India?

Answer:

A dam is a structure built as a barrier between the surface water flow and reservoirs that store water, That means Dams are a barrier construction that restricts the flow of water streams by raising their level to help build reservoirs.  India has the third largest number of dams in the world at 4,407 and the highest number of dams in China (23841), followed by the USA(9263) with the 2nd highest. Generally, the construction of dams in India helps in power generation and water supply for irrigation purposes as well as aquaculture purposes, which are also part of the industrial sector and adequate water for domestic and city consumption. 

Question 2: Briefly describe the river system of India?

Answer:

A river is a natural flow of water on the earth’s surface through well-structured channels towards an ocean, lake, or another river. where These well-constructed channels depend on the nature of the soil, rock formation, topography, geological period, slope, etc. In India more than 70 % of the river basin is occupied by rivers oriented toward the Bay of Bengal and nearly 30 % of the river basin is occupied by rivers discharging their waters in the Arabian Sea. 

We can classify the Indian river system into two types namely the Himalayan river system and the Peninsular river system. The major rivers of the Himalayan river system are the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Ganga, Kosi, Yamuna and Brahmaputra. The major rivers in the peninsular river system are Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, and Sabarmati.

Question 3: List the major names of dams in India.

Answer:

Tehri Dam (Uttarakhand); Hirakud Dam (Odisha); Kallanai Dam (Tamil Nadu); Bhakra Nangal Dam (Himachal Pradesh); Sardar Sarovar Dam (Gujarat); Indira Sagar Dam (Madhya Pradesh); Nagarjuna Sagar Dam (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana); Mullaperiyar Dam (Kerala); Srisailam Dam (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana).

Question 4: Briefly explain the Ganga River basin?

Answer:

It is the second longest river in India after the Ganga river which originates at Trimbakeshwar, near Nasik, Maharashtra, and flows southeast with a length of 1,465 kilometers across the states of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha, and finally, it merges into the Bay of Bengal at Narasapuram in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. It is also known as the Dakshin (South) Ganga or Vridha(Old) Ganga. Major tributaries of this river are Pravara, Purna, Penganga, Indravati, Wardha, Manjira, Wainganga, Bindusara, Pranhita, Maner and Sarbari.