Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is located in Andhra Pradesh
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Location of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam in Andhra Pradesh
LocationPalnadu district, Andhra Pradesh & Nalgonda district, Telangana
Coordinates16°34′32″N 79°18′42″E / 16.57556°N 79.31167°E / 16.57556; 79.31167
PurposeHydroelectric & Irrigation
Construction began10 December 1955 (1955-12-10)
Opening date1967; 57 years ago (1967)
Construction cost132.32 crore rupees
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsKrishna River
Height124 metres (407 ft) from the deepest river bed level
Length1,550 metres (5,085 ft)
Reservoir
CreatesNagarjuna Sagar Reservoir
Total capacity11.56 km3 (9×10^6 acre⋅ft)
(405 Tmcft)
Active capacity6.92 cubic kilometres (1.66 cu mi) (244.41 Tmcft)[1]
Catchment area215,000 square kilometres (83,000 sq mi)
Surface area285 km2 (110 sq mi)
Power Station
Operator(s)Andhra Pradesh Power Generation Corporation
Telangana State Power Generation Corporation Limited
Commission date1978–1985
Turbines1 x 110 MW Francis turbine, 7 x 100.8 MW reversible Francis turbines
Installed capacity816 MW (1,094,000 hp)

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is a masonry dam across the Krishna River at Nagarjuna Sagar which straddles the border between Palnadu district in Andhra Pradesh and Nalgonda district in Telangana.[2] The dam provides irrigation water to the districts of Krishna, Guntur, Palnadu, Prakasam and parts of West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh and also Nalgonda, Suryapet, Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem districts of Telangana. It is also a source of electricity generation for the national grid.[3][4][5]

Constructed between 1955 and 1967, the dam created a water reservoir with gross storage capacity of 11.472 billion cubic metres (405.1×10^9 cu ft), its effective capacity is 6.92 cubic km or 244.41 Tmcft. The dam is 124 metres (407 ft) tall from its deepest foundation and 1.6 kilometres (5,200 ft) long with 26 flood gates which are 13 metres (42 ft) wide and 14 metres (45 ft) tall.[6] It is jointly operated by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.[2][7]

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was the earliest in a series of large infrastructure projects termed as "modern temples" initiated for achieving the Green Revolution in India. It is also one of the earliest multi-purpose irrigation and hydroelectric projects in India.

  1. ^ "India: National Register of Large Dams 2009" (PDF). Central Water Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  2. ^ a b Lasania, Yunus Y. (11 August 2019). "AP, Telangana jointly release water from Nagarjuna Sagar dam". Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  3. ^ Everard, Mark (8 August 2013). The Hydropolitics of Dams: Engineering or Ecosystems?. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-78032-542-2.
  4. ^ Sankararao, N. A Conceptual Study On Power Sector Reforms In Andhra Pradesh. Archers & Elevators Publishing House. p. 33. ISBN 978-81-950384-6-6.
  5. ^ "Palnadu lift irrigation scheme back in spotlight". The Hindu. 20 November 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Nagarjunasagar". Archived from the original on 24 January 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2007.
  7. ^ Pradeep, B. (12 August 2019). "All gates of Nagarjunasagar lifted". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 September 2020.