A dam serves as a barrier to stop the flow of water. It helps to prevent floods and help in irrigation facilities. India is home to almost 5200 dams spread across different states of the country. Maharashtra alone has 1845 dams, the highest number of dams in one state.
They are built to facilitate better functioning in the states. They are also important for hydroelectricity production. Let’s take a look at some of the important dams in India. Here is the list of Major Dams in India.
Major Dams in India
1. Bhavani Sagar dam – Tamil Nadu
It came into being in 1955 and is built on the Bhavani River. This is the largest earthen dam in India and South Asia and the second-largest in the world. It is in Sathyamangalam district of Tamil Nadu and comes under the Tamil Nadu government.
It is 130 ft tall and 8.4 km long with a capacity of 8 megawatts.
2. Tehri Dam – Uttarakhand
It is the highest dam in India and comes under the top 10 highest dams in the world. This came into being in 2006 and stands tall on the Bhagirathi river.
It is in the Tehri district of Uttarakhand and comes under National Thermal Power Corporation Limited. It is an embankment dam with a height of 855 ft and a length of 1,886 ft.
3. Hirakud dam – Odisha
It came into being in 1957 and stands tall on the Mahanadi river. It is one of the first major multipurpose river valley projects in India. This is a composite dam and reservoir and is in the city of Sambalpur in Odisha.
It comes under the government of Odisha. It is 200 ft tall and 55 km long and is the longest Dam in India.
4. Bhakra Nangal Dam – Himachal Pradesh
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It came into being in 1963 and stands tall on the Sutlej river. This is the third-largest reservoir in India and is in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is a concrete gravity dam and comes under the state government of Himachal Pradesh. It is 741 ft high and receives a lot of tourist attractions in the country.
5. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam – Andhra Pradesh
It came into being in 1967 and stands tall on the Krishna river. This is the second-largest reservoir in India with 312 TMC gross capacity. It is in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and comes under the Telangana State Power Generation Corporation Limited. It is a masonry dam with a height of 407 ft.
6. Sardar Sarovar Dam – Gujarat
It came into being in 2017 and stands tall on the Narmada River. This is a concrete gravity dam in the Navagam district of Gujarat. It comes under Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited.
It is responsible for the start of Narmada Bachao Andolan as it was not in social or economical favor for the villagers living there.
7. Tungabhadra Dam – Karnataka
It came into being in 1953 and stands tall on the Tungabhadra River. This is a Composite dam in the Bellary district of Karnataka. It comes under the Karnataka Government. It is the only dam in India built without concrete and cement.
8. Rihand Dam – Uttar Pradesh
It came into being in 1962 and is on the Rihand river. It is a concrete gravity dam in Sonbhadra District of Uttar Pradesh. Its total water capacity is 10.6 billion cubic meters making it the largest dam in India by volume. It comes under the Uttar Pradesh government and is 300 ft high.
9. Koyna Dam – Maharashtra
It came into being in 1964 and is on the Biradar River. This is a Rubble-concrete dam in Koynanagar, Maharashtra. It comes under the government of Maharashtra and is 339 ft high. It is one of the largest dams in Maharashtra.
10. Kallanai Dam – Tamil Nadu
It is the oldest dam in India from 100BC. It is in the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. The Chola Dynasty is responsible for building this dam. It stands 18ft high on the Kaveri river and comes under the Tamil Nadu government. It is a Barrage Dam and the 4th oldest water regulator in the world.
11. Mettur Dam – Tamil Nadu
It is the largest dam in Tamil Nadu. It came into being in 1934 and is on Cauvery (Kaveri) River. This is a Gravity and Masonry dam in Salem district of Tamil Nadu. It comes under the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd. It is 214 ft high.
12. Indira Sagar Dam – Madhya Pradesh
It came into being in 2005 and is on the Narmada River. It is in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh and serves a multipurpose project.
This dam comes under the Madhya Pradesh irrigation and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. It has a capacity of 12.22 billion cum, thus becoming the largest dam in India by water capacity.
13. Jayakwadi Dam – Maharashtra
It is an earthen dam on the Godavari river built-in 1976. It is in the Jayakwadi district of Maharashtra. This dam comes under the government of Maharashtra and covers an area of 21,750 km.
It is one of the largest dams in Asia with 27 water gates. It creates the NathSagar Jalashay which irrigates most of the farms in that district.
14. Somasila Dam – Andhra Pradesh
It is a dam on Penna river built-in 1989. This dam is in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh and comes under the government of Andhra Pradesh. It is an earth fill and gravity dam covering an area of 212.28 km.
15. Ujani Dam – Maharashtra
It is part of the Bhima Irrigation Project built-in 1980. It is on the Bhima river in the Solapur district of Maharashtra.
This dam is an earth fill and gravity dam and is 185ft high. It comes under the government of Maharashtra. This dam is also famous for bird watching as many flamingos are spotted here seasonally.
16. Ukai Dam – Gujarat
It is the second-largest reservoir in Gujarat. It is responsible for irrigation, power generation, and flood control in the Tapi district of Gujarat. This dam is 345ft high and creates the Vallabhsagar reservoir. Its water capacity is the same as Bhakra Nangal Dam and it comes under the state government.
17. Mukkombu Dam – Tamil Nadu
It is a dam by the East India company built-in 1838. It is on the Kaveri river in Jeeyapuram village of Tamil Nadu. This is one of the smallest dams in India with a height of 685 meters. It is inspired by the Kallanai Dam in Tamil Nadu.
18. Cheruthoni Dam – Kerala
It came into being in 1973 and is on the Periyar River. It is a straight gravity concrete dam in Idukki, Kerala. This is the largest gravity dam in Kerala with a height of 453 ft. It comes under the Moolamattom Power Station.
Some other important dams in India are –
| No. | Dams | Location | River |
| 1 | Dhauli Ganga Dam | Uttarakhand | Dhauli Ganga River |
| 2 | Tehri Dam | Uttarakhand | Bhagirathi River |
| 3 | Rihand Dam | Uttar Pradesh | Rihand River |
| 4 | Perunchani Dam | Tamil Nadu | Paralayar River |
| 5 | Vaigai Dam | Tamil Nadu | Vaigai River |
| 6 | Mukkombu Dam | Tamil Nadu | Kaveri River |
| 7 | Bhavani Sagar dam | Tamil Nadu | Bhavani River |
| 8 | Mettur Dam | Tamil Nadu | Kaveri River |
| 9 | Kallanai Dam | Tamil Nadu | Kaveri River |
| 10 | Nizam Sagar Dam | Telangana | Manjira River |
| 11 | Lower Manair Dam | Telangana | Manjira River |
| 12 | Singur dam | Telangana | Manjira River |
| 13 | Upper Manair Dam | Telangana | Kudlair River |
| 14 | Mid Manair Dam | Telangana | Manair River |
| 15 | Hirakud Dam | Odisha | Mahanadi River |
| 16 | Indravati Dam | Odisha | Indravati River |
| 17 | Radhanagari Dam | Maharashtra | Bhogawati River |
| 18 | Gangapur Dam | Maharashtra | Godavari river |
| 19 | Khadakwasla Dam | Maharashtra | Mutha River |
| 20 | Vaitarna Dam | Maharashtra | Vaitarna river |
| 21 | Girna Dam | Maharashtra | Girana river |
| 22 | Kolkewadi Dam | Maharashtra | Vashishti River |
| 23 | Mula Dam | Maharashtra | Mula river |
| 24 | Panshet Dam | Maharashtra | Ambi River |
| 25 | Tansa Dam | Maharashtra | Tansa river |
| 26 | Wilson Dam | Maharashtra | Pravara River |
| 27 | Bhatsa Dam | Maharashtra | Bhatsa river |
| 28 | Jayakwadi Dam | Maharashtra | Godavari River |
| 29 | Mulshi Dam | Maharashtra | Mula River |
| 30 | Pawna Dam | Maharashtra | Maval River |
| 31 | Ujani Dam | Maharashtra | Bhima River |
| 32 | Yeldari Dam | Maharashtra | Purna river |
| 33 | Koyna Dam | Maharashtra | Biradari River |
| 34 | Jayakwadi Dam | Maharashtra | Godavari River |
| 35 | Ujani Dam | Maharashtra | Bhima River |
| 36 | Gandhi Sagar Dam | Madhya Pradesh | Chambal River |
| 37 | Bansagar Dam | Madhya Pradesh | Sone River |
| 38 | Bargi Dam | Madhya Pradesh | Narmada River |
| 39 | Indira Sagar Dam | Madhya Pradesh | Narmada River |
| 40 | Barna Dam | Madhya Pradesh | Barna River |
| 41 | Neyyar Dam | Kerala | Neyyar River |
| 42 | Mullaperiyar Dam | Kerala | Periyar River |
| 43 | Walayar Dam | Kerala | Walayar River |
| 44 | Parambikulam Dam | Kerala | Parambikulam River |
| 45 | Kundala Dam | Kerala | Kundala Lake |
| 46 | Idukki Dam | Kerala | Periyar River |
| 47 | Peechi Dam | Kerala | Manali River |
| 48 | Cheruthoni Dam | Kerala | Periyar River |
| 49 | Malampuzha Dam | Kerala | Malampuzha River |
| 50 | Kodasalli Dam | Karnataka | Kali River |
| 51 | Narayanpur Dam | Karnataka | Krishna River |
| 52 | Tungabhadra Dam | Karnataka | Tungabhadra River |
| 53 | Harangi Dam | Karnataka | Harangi River |
| 54 | Krishna Raja Sagara Dam | Karnataka | Kaveri River |
| 55 | Supa Dam | Karnataka | Kalinadi river |
| 56 | Alamatti Dam | Karnataka | Krishna River |
| 57 | Kadra Dam | Karnataka | Kalinadi River |
| 58 | Linganamakki dam | Karnataka | Sharavathi River |
| 59 | Panchet Dam | Jharkhand | Damodar River |
| 60 | Chandil Dam | Jharkhand | Swarnarekha River |
| 61 | Maithon Dam | Jharkhand | Barakar River |
| 62 | Uri Hydroelectric Dam | Jammu and Kashmir | Jhelum River |
| 63 | Dumkhar Hydroelectric Dam | Jammu and Kashmir | Indus River |
| 64 | Baglihar Dam | Jammu and Kashmir | Chenab River |
| 65 | Chamera Dam | Himachal Pradesh | Ravi River |
| 66 | Nathpa Jhakri Dam | Himachal Pradesh | Satluj River |
| 67 | Pandoh Dam | Himachal Pradesh | Beas River |
| 68 | Bhakra Nangal Dam | Himachal Pradesh | Sutlej River |
| 69 | Somasila Dam | Andhra Pradesh | Krishna River |
| 70 | Nagarjuna Sagar Dam | Andhra Pradesh | Penna River |
| 71 | Srisailam Dam | Andhra Pradesh | Krishna River |
| 72 | Somasila Dam | Andhra Pradesh | Pennar River |
| 73 | Dantiwada Dam | Gujarat | Banas River |
| 74 | Ukai Dam | Gujarat | Ukai River |
| 75 | Sardar Sarovar Dam | Gujarat | Narmada River |
| 76 | Kadana dam | Gujarat | Mahi River |
| 77 | Dharoi Dam | Gujarat | Sabarmati River |
Conclusion
Aspirants preparing for competitive exams like UPSC, RRB, SSC, and more should know this topic well. Dams in India are important for growth and development. They are also an important section of Indian geography.
This topic is usually a part of the General awareness section of all types of competitive exams. This article will help you study Important Dams in India, their location, and the river. Giving it a good read will prove beneficial for your exam results.