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The Bhakra Nangal Dam is a concrete gravity dam in India. It is located near the border between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh in the northern part of the country. Situated across the Sutlej River, this dam is said to be the second-tallest dam in Asia, with a height of 740 ft. Interestingly, Bhakra and Nangal are two different dams. The former is located upstream of a village called Bhakra in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.
On the other hand, Nangal Dam is around 13 km downstream of the Bhakra Dam, present in Nangal, Punjab. Thus, they’re different dams often referred to collectively. It is a popular tourist destination that was called the ‘New Temple of Resurgent India’ by the country’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Reservoir of Bhakra Nangal Dam
The reservoir of this dam is called the ‘Gobind Sagar’. It has the capacity to store around 9.43 billion cubic metres of water. This reservoir by Bhakra Dam is 90 km long and spreads over an area of 168.35 sq km. Moreover, this reservoir is also the third-largest in the country with regard to the storage of water. The largest one is the Indira Sagar dam in Madhya Pradesh, and the second one is Nagarjunasagar Dam.
History of Bhakra Nangal Dam
Established in 1963, the Bhakra Nangal Dam is one of the earliest river valley development schemes that the government of India undertook after its independence.
Sir Louis Dane was Punjab’s lieutenant Governor in 1908. During that time, he made a suggestion of building a reservoir on the Sutlej River. He suggested building dams for storing and developing power. But the project did not happen as it was very expensive.
Many reports were made studying the same, and finally, in 1948, the project started to take shape. The goal was to provide irrigation, generate power and prevent the flooding of the Sutlej-Beas river valley.
Thus, construction of the Bhakra dam started in 1948 and finally finished on 22 October 1963. A massive amount of 13,000 workers and 300 engineers came together to make this project a success.
Importance of Bhakra Nangal Dam
The Bhakra Dam is a very important asset of India that offers various benefits. They include:
Irrigation: One of the primary uses of this dam is storing rainwater for irrigation purposes. It helps in the irrigation of 10 million-plus acres of fields all over Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana. It helps in counteracting the damage that occurs because of monsoon floods.
Electricity generation: The water of the dam helps in providing electricity to many areas of the states of Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Delhi. There are two powerhouses on each side of the dam. The 10 power generators of the dam help in the production of 1325 MegaWatts of power.
Tourism: Being a popular destination for tourists, the Bhakra Dam attracts visitors because of its huge size and exclusivity. There are water sports that tourists can try at the Gobind Lake. It is an artificial lake that was built on the Sutlej River. Jungle safari is another attractive option for tourists, along with the sacred temple of Nain Devi.
Fishing: Commercial fishing is allowed in the Gobind Sagar reservoir as it is home to a lot of different species of fish. To know more about it, one can get the details from the Punjab Fisheries Department in Chandigarh.
Interesting Facts about the Bhakra Nangal Dam
Built on the Sutlej River, the Bhakra Dam is the second-tallest dam in Asia, after the Tehri Dam.
Bhakra Nangal Dam has a height of about 207.26 m, while the Tehri dam is about 261 m tall. Tehri Dam is located in Uttarakhand and Bhakra Nangal is located in Himachal Pradesh
Gobind Sagar, the reservoir of the Bhakra Dam, is 88 km long and 8 km wide. It has been named after Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikh community.
This reservoir can store up to 9.34 billion cubic metres of water. This is equivalent to flooding Chandigarh and parts of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab.
This dam also has the third-largest reservoir in India in terms of water storage.
Conclusion:
All in all, Bhakra Nangal Dam is one of the most important dams for India. It not only helps in preventing floods but also generates electricity for many states of India. In addition, it helps the farmers of various states by providing irrigation. Over the years, it has gained the attention of tourists and also brings in great tourism to the country.
