List of Dams in Uttarakhand

  • Maneri dam- it is located near the city of Uttarkashi. It’s a concrete dam which was completed in 1984. It flows from the river Bhagirathi and it is used for hydroelectric purposes. 
  • Nanak Sagar- it is located near the city Nainital. It’s an earthen dam which flows from river Deoha. It was completed in 1962 and is used for the purpose of irrigation and water storage. 
  • Pala Dam- it is a concrete dam in the city of Uttarkashi. It flows from the river Bhagirathi. It was completed in the year 2013 and is used for the purpose of hydroelectricity and irrigation. 
  • RamGanga- it is located near the city Pauri Gharwal. It flows from the river Ramganga. It was completed in 1974. It’s an earthen and gravity dam which is used for the purpose of irrigation and hydroelectricity. 
  • Ramganga Saddle Dam- it flows from the river Christo and it is located near the city of Pauri Garhwal. It’s an earthen and Gravity dam which is used for the purpose of irrigation. It was completed in 1974. 
  • Tehri Dam Uttarakhand- it is located near the city Tehri. It flows from the river Bhagirathi and it is an earthen and gravity dam. It is a multipurpose dam used for hydroelectricity and irrigation. 
  • Tumaria- it is located near the city of Kashipur. It is an earthen dam which flows from the river Dhela. It was completed in the year 1961 and is used for the purpose of irrigation. 
  • Vishnugad pipalkoti- it’s an earthen and gravity dam which flows from the river Bhagirathi. It’s a multipurpose hydroelectricity dam. 
  • Haripura Dam- it is located near the city of Nainital and flows from the river Bhakra. It is an earthen Uttarakhand dam used for the purpose of irrigation. It was completed in 1975. 
  • Ichari Dam- it is located near the city of Dehradun and flows from the river tons. It’s a concrete Uttarakhand dam used for the purpose of hydroelectricity and irrigation. It was completed in 1972. 
  • Karmoli Dam- it is located near the city Rishikesh. It flows from the river Jadh Ganga. It is a concrete dam used for multipurpose and hydroelectricity. 
  • Kishau Dam Project- it is located near the city Dehradun and flows from the river tons. It’s a concrete dam used for the purpose of hydroelectricity and irrigation. 
  • Koteshwar- it is located near the city Tehri Garhwal. It’s a concrete dam which flows from the river Bhagirathi. It is used for the purpose of hydroelectricity. 
  • Lakhwar- it is located near the city Dehradun and flows from the river Yamuna. It’s an earthen and gravity dam used for the purpose of irrigation and hydroelectricity. 
  • Maleri Jelam- it is located near the city Rishikesh and flows from the river Dhauli Ganga. It’s a concrete dam used for multipurposes. 

Tehri Dam Uttarakhand

The Tehri Dam is the tallest dam of India. This dam is used for multipurposes. It’s an earthen dam that flows from the river Bhagirathi and is located near Garhwal district in Uttarakhand.  The dam is used for irrigation and the generation of hydroelectricity. It is the fourth highest dam in the world. It’s 260.5 metre high and 592 metre in length. 

River Bhagirathi

The river Bhagirathi flows in the Garhwal district or Himalaya. It flows for 205 kilometres through Uttarkashi and Tehri where it reaches Devprayg and meets Alaknanda to form the holy Ganga. 

The Tehri Dam is an operational dam whose construction began in the year 1978. It was opened in 2006. The owners of the dam are THDC India Limited and it cost them 2.5 billion US dollars to construct the dam. 

The design of the dam was completed in 1972 under Jawaharlal Nehru’s ministry. The construction of the dam started in 1978 but got delayed due to environmental and social impacts. In 1986, the USSR gave financial support to construct the dam but it got interrupted due to political instability. 

The irrigation department of Uttar Pradesh took over the construction of the dam. In 1988 the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation was formed to manage the construction of the dam. 75% of the funding was provided by the federal government and 25% by the state. The Uttar Pradesh government was responsible for the entire irrigation cost of the project. 

The Anti Tehri Dam Movement

There have been a lot of protests by environmental organisations to point out the consequences of the project. Sunderlal Bahuguna led the Anti Tehri-Dam movement from 1980s to 2004. He protested to point out the environmental consequences of the project and the displacement of the inhabitants of the town due to the construction of the dam. 

Conclusion

The state of Uttarakhand is known for its self-reliance when it comes to power generation and generation of hydroelectricity. Water flowing from glaciers and rains is collected in the dams. The dams in Uttarakhand become large water storage tanks which are later used for the generation of electricity. The Tehri Dam is the most famous dam of Uttarakhand. It is the highest dam of India and the tallest dam of the world. The state of Uttarakhand has many other small and large dams built all around the cities.