A dam is a human-made structure primarily used to hold back water. Dams are constructed for many purposes, including reservoir creation, flood prevention, irrigation, and hydroelectric power. Today, there are just about 50,000 enormous dams being used around the world. India has already constructed a huge number of several dams and water reservoirs, with approximately 4300 already-constructed large dams. Dams regulate the flow of rivers and streams. They also come in handy for preventing flash floods in low-lying lands and valleys. Over the years, dams have emerged useful for generating. In this article, we learn about the dams of Punjab, the uses of dams and all about the chohal dam.
Dams of punjab
# |
Name |
Purpose |
River |
Nearest City |
District |
Basin |
Status |
Completion Year |
Type |
Length (m) |
Max Height above Foundation (m) |
1 |
Chohal Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Chohal Choe |
Hoshiarpur |
Hoshiarpur |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1993 |
Earthen |
330 |
28.6 |
2 |
Damsal Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Damsal |
Hoshiarpur |
Hoshiarpur |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1990 |
Earthen |
210 |
26.5 |
3 |
Dholbaha Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Dholbaha khad |
Hoshiarpur |
Hoshiarpur |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1987 |
Earthen |
358 |
38.83 |
4 |
Jainti Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Soonk |
Kharar |
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
2001 |
Earthen |
256 |
19.75 |
5 |
Janauri Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Janauri Khad |
Hoshiarpur |
Hoshiarpur |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1988 |
Earthen |
125 |
31.5 |
6 |
Maili Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Maili Choe |
Garhshankar |
Hoshiarpur |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1986 |
Earthen |
334 |
23.5 |
7 |
Mirzapur Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Budki Khad |
Kharar |
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1996 |
Earthen |
210 |
22.4 |
8 |
Patiari Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Patiari |
Hoshiarpur |
Hoshiarpur |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
2002 |
Earthen |
226 |
37 |
9 |
Perch Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Perch Khad |
Kharar |
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1993 |
Earthen |
286.75 |
22.2 |
10 |
Ranjit Sagar Dam |
Flood Control,Hydroelectric,Irrigation |
Ravi |
Pathankot |
Kathua |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1999 |
Earthen |
617 |
145 |
11 |
Saleran Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Saleran Khad |
Hoshiarpur |
Hoshiarpur |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1995 |
Earthen |
96 |
32.5 |
12 |
Shahpur Kandi Dam |
Hydroelectric,Irrigation |
Ravi |
Pathankot |
Gurdaspur |
Indus up to International Border |
Under Construction |
Gravity & Masonry |
725 |
54.5 |
|
13 |
Siswan Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Siswan Khad |
Kharar |
Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
1998 |
Earthen |
435 |
24 |
14 |
Thana Dam |
Flood Control,Irrigation |
Khwaja |
Hoshiarpur |
Hoshiarpur |
Indus up to International Border |
Completed |
2008 |
Earthen |
400 |
28.4 |
Uses of dams
There are many dams in this civilised world. Although the main function of these dams is to hold water back, they often provide additional useful facilities. Major dam uses are discussed below.
Water Supply
Water stored in reservoirs of the dam is used to provide adequate amounts of quality freshwater to residential, industrial facilities and mining sites.
Dams can be used to regulate the flow of water in rivers. This is to say that water can be released from the reservoir to support wildlife and ecosystems downstream during a drought, and water can be released for agricultural uses during the same drought.
Irrigation
In many countries, cropland irrigation is done using water stored behind dams.
Electrical Generation
-
To generate electricity in hydroelectric power stations
-
Hydropower is considered clean because it does not contribute to global warming, air pollution, acid rain, or ozone depletion
-
The United States is one of the largest producers of hydropower in the world, second only to Canada. Dams produce over 103,800 megawatts of renewable electricity and meet 8 to 12 percent of the Nation’s power needs
Flood Control
-
For centuries, people have built dams to help control devastating floods. It helps to prevent the loss of life and property. Flood control dams impound floodwaters and then either release them under control to the river below the dam or store or divert the water for other uses.
Water Storage
-
Dams create reservoirs that supply water for uses, including industrial, municipal, and agricultural
-
Water captured during the wet season can be stored for use during the dry season
Chohal Dam
This dam has provided irrigation facilities to approximately 900 hect. C.C.A. This dam is located 0.5 km on the upper east side of village Chohal. Villages, namely Baroti, Saleran, Bhagowal, Chohal, Adamwal, Sainchan and Thathal, have been saved from the fury of floods, and with its help, a number of development schemes have been implemented, such as fish farming, irrigation and recharging of groundwater. Chohal Dam, Hoshiarpur is situated at Hoshiarpur in India.
Conclusion
The state of Punjab is known as the land of five rivers due to the five major rivers flowing through this region. These rivers are the most important geographical feature of this area and have given the name Punjab (‘Punj’ means Five + ‘Aab’ means Water) to this land. These five streams of Punjab are Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, and Jhelum.
In this article, we learned about the dams of Punjab and the uses of dams as we know they often provide additional useful facilities. And the significance of the Chohal dam.