Bhakra Dam

Bhakra Nangal Dam
The Bhakra Dam, Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, India
Bhakra Dam is located in Himachal Pradesh
Bhakra Dam
Location in Himachal Pradesh
Bhakra Dam is located in India
Bhakra Dam
Location in India
Official nameBhakra Dam
LocationBhakra Village, Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, India
Coordinates31°24′39″N 76°26′0″E / 31.41083°N 76.43333°E / 31.41083; 76.43333
Construction began1948; 76 years ago (1948)
Opening date1963; 61 years ago (1963)
Construction cost245.28 crore (equivalent to 200 billion or US$2.4 billion in 2023)
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete gravity
ImpoundsSatluj River
Height741 ft (226 m)
Length1,700 ft (520 m)
Width (crest)30 ft (9.1 m)
Width (base)625 ft (191 m)
Spillway typeControlled, overflow
Reservoir
CreatesGobindsagar Reservoir
Total capacity7.551 million megalitres (266.70 tmc ft)
Active capacity6.007 million megalitres
Catchment area56980 km2
Surface area168.35 km2
Maximum water depth1680 ft
Power Station
Commission date1962–1963
Turbines5 x 108 MW, 5 x 157 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity1325 MW

Bhakra Nangal Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Satluj River in Bhakra Village in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The dam forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir. Nangal Dam is another dam at Nangal in Punjab downstream of Bhakra Dam. However, sometimes both the dams together are called Bhakra-Nangal Dam though they are two separate dams.

The dam is located at a gorge near the (now submerged) upstream Bhakra village in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh and is of height 226 m.[1] The length of the dam (measured from the road above it) is 518.25 m and the width is 9.1 m. Its reservoir known as "Gobind Sagar" stores up to 9.34 billion cubic metres of water. The 90 km long reservoir created by the Bhakra Dam is spread over an area of 168.35 km2. In terms of storage of water, it is the third largest reservoir in India, the first being Indira Sagar dam in Madhya Pradesh with capacity of 12.22 billion cubic meters and the second being Nagarjunasagar Dam in Telangana.

Described as "New Temple of Resurgent India" by Jawaharlal Nehru,[2] the first prime minister of India, the dam attracts tourists from all over India. Bhakra dam is 15 km from Nangal town, Punjab and 106 km from Bilaspur

  1. ^ "Central Water Commission website". Archived from the original on 31 March 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Sorry for the inconvenience". bbmb.gov.in. Retrieved 14 November 2009.