Dams in India

The questions asked in the Bank Exams in the General Awareness section are based on areas like the history of Politics, Geography, Sports and many more. One of the most important topics that are asked in the G.A section is the knowledge about Dams.

General Awareness is a major section for all Government exams such as Bank exams, SSC exams, RRB exams etc. In this section, questions based on topics related to the current affairs or based on static topics. Therefore, first, we should have a clear understanding of the Dams.

Candidates can download the list of Dams in India PDF given below for convenient preparation.

Dams in India (UPSC Notes):- Download PDF Here

Dam Projects in the news:

• Mekedatu Dam Project
• Project Sardar Sarovar Dam
• Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project

What is the Dam?

A dam is a barrier that stops the flow of water and results in the creation of a reservoir. Dams are mainly built in order to produce electricity by using water. This form of electricity is known as hydroelectricity.

Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aquaculture, and navigability.

The earliest known dam is the Jawa Dam in Jordan, dating to 3,000 BC.

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Types of Dams

There are many dams in India, and hence there is a need to know about them as there are questions based on the dams of India. The Bank Exams like IBPS or SBI contains questions from this section.

Based on the structure the types of dams are as mentioned below:

1. Arch Dam: An arch dam is a concrete dam that is curved upstream in the plan. It is designed so that the hydrostatic pressure (force of the water against it) presses against the arch, causing the arch to straighten slightly and strengthening the structure as it pushes into its foundation or abutments. An arch dam is most suitable for narrow canyons or gorges with steep walls of stable rock to support the structure and stresses.
2. Gravity Dam: Dams constructed from concrete or stone masonry are Gravity dams. They are designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. These are designed in such a way that each section of the dam is stable and independent of other section.
3. Arch-Gravity Dam: This dam has the characteristics of both an arch dam and a gravity dam. It is a dam that curves upstream in a narrowing curve that directs most of the water pressure against the canyon rock walls. The inward compression of the dam by the water reduces the lateral (horizontal) force acting on the dam.
4. Barrages: A barrage is a type of low-head, diversion dam which consists of a number of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing through. This allows the structure to regulate and stabilize river water elevation upstream for use in irrigation and other systems.
5. Embankment Dams: An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay, or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface and a dense, impervious core.
6. Rock-Fills Dams: Rock-fill dams are embankments of compacted free-draining granular earth with an impervious zone. The earth utilized often contains a high percentage of large particles, hence the term “rock-fill”.
7. Concrete-face rock-fill dams: A concrete-face rock-fill dam (CFRD) is a rock-fill dam with concrete slabs on its upstream face. This design provides the concrete slab as an impervious wall to prevent leakage and also a structure without concern for uplift pressure.
8. Earth-fill dams: Earth-fill dams, also called earthen dams, rolled-earth dams or simply earth dams, are constructed as a simple embankment of well-compacted earth. A homogeneous rolled-earth dam is entirely constructed of one type of material but may contain a drain layer to collect seep water.

Reference Wikipedia– [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dam]

Dams have always been a great help for constructively utilising natural resources.

Major Dams in India

The major dams in India have helped the inhabitants in a number of ways like:

1. Providing adequate water for domestic, industry and irrigation purposes.
2. Hydroelectric power production and river navigation.
3. These major dams in India and their reservoirs provide recreation areas for fishing and boating.
4. They have helped in the reduction of floods.

Highlights on some important Dams in India:

Length: 575 meters

River: Bhagirathi River

Length of Main Dam:4.8 km (3.0 mi)

Location: Tamil Nadu

List of Dams Of India is an important static GK topic in terms of UPSC syllabus. For information on various static GK topics check the article linked here.

The list of some major dams in India have been given below:

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 260.5 metres. 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- 260.5 m
• Length of the Dam- 575 m
• Type of Dam- Rock fill
• 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 metres 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
• 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 total length of 25.79 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- 61 m
• Length of the Dam- 4.8 km (Main Dam)
• Type of Dam- Composite Dam
• The reservoir capacity- 47,79,965 acre feet
• Capacity that is installed- 347.5 Megawatt

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

The Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is located in the state of Telangana. 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 1.55 km in length. It is situated on the river Krishna.

• Height of the Dam- 124m
• Length of the Dam- 4863 m (Total Lenght)
• 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 neighbouring 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- 77,00,000 acre-feet
• Capacity that is installed- 1450 Megawatt

These are some largest dams in India. There are more dams in India but questions that are asked in the Bank Exams’ General Awareness section is based on these dams only.

Dams in India (UPSC Notes):- Download PDF Here

Dams In India – Sample Questions

Given below are a few sample questions on Dams in India to help you understand the relevance of the topic for various competitive exams and to know the scope and variety asked in the examination.

Q1. Hirakud dam, one of the longest dams (length – 25.8 km) in the world is located on the river –

1. Godavari
2. Tungabhadra
3. Mahanadi
4. Brahmaputra

Answer (3) Mahanadi

Q2. Tehri Dam of Uttarakhand has been constructed on the river –

1. Bhagirathi
2. Teesta
3. Alaknanda
4. Ghaggar

Answer (1) Bhagirathi

Q3. ______ is located on Sutlej river.

1. Koyna Dam
2. Nagarjuna Sagar
3. Bhakra Nangal Dam located
4. Gandhisagar Dam

Answer (3) Bhakra Nangal Dam

Q4. Which of the following dams is not on the River Krishna?

1. Nagarjunasagar
2. Srisailam
3. Alamat
4. Krishnaraja Sagar

Answer (4) Krishna Sagar Dam

Q5. Which of the following dams is also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar?

1. Pong Dam
2. Ukai Dam
3. Thein Dam
4. Koyna Dam

Answer (1) Pong Dam

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