 Useful Links

List of Major Dams in

India for Banking & SSC
Exams

1
  Useful Links

List of Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC Exams

Flowing water has always been a treat to watch, but not many people know that flowing water has
the ability to light up our homes. In fact, dams that are built on large rivers are the prime source of
hydroelectricity. Dams hold the river water and channelize it through pipes or outlets that rotate
large turbines for the generation of electricity. In addition to supplying hydroelectricity, dams also
act as reservoirs of water, which can be used for irrigation and other domestic uses. Learn about the
Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC Exams, which will help you in various competitive ex-
ams like SBI PO, SSC CGL, SSC CPO, IBPS PO, NABARD, Railways Group D, etc.

Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC Exams

The total number of major/medium-sized dams in India are speculated to be 3200. But before we
move forward to learn the list of major/important dams in India, let's understand the origin of dams
in India.

Origin of Dams in India🌊

Although there is a lot of speculation of the origin of dams, some strong pieces of evidence
in history point out to the Jawa Dam that was constructed in 3000 BCE. After the success of
the Jawa Dam, Egyptians built the Sadd el-Kafara, or Dam of the Pagans, which was mainly
for irrigation purposes. In the current era, the Quatinah Barrage or Lake Homs Dam, located
in Syria, is the oldest operational dam in the world.

Top 5 Largest Dams in India

1. Tehri Dam, Uttarakhand

This is the highest dam in India and it stands at a height of 260.5 meters. The cost of construction of
this dam was US$1 billion. The Tehri Dam is also one of the tallest dams in the world. Tehri Dam is
located on the Bhagirathi River and has a capacity for generation of 1,000 megawatts (1,300,000 hp)
of hydroelectricity.

Height 260 meters

Length 575 meters

River Bhagirathi River

Location Uttarakhand

Installed Capacity 1,000MW

Type Earth & Rockfill

2
  Useful Links

2. Bhakra Nangal Dam, Himachal Pradesh

Standing at 226 meters tall, this dam is built over the Sutlej River in Bilaspur. There is another dam
downstream, which is called Nangal dam. Together both the dams are called Bhakra - Nangal Dam.
The construction cost of this dam in the year 1963 was Rs. 245.28 crore. The Bhakra - Nangal Dam
is a joint venture of three state governments - Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab.

Height 226 meters

Length 520 meters

River Sutlej River

Location Punjab & Himachal Pradesh

Installed Capacity 1,325 MW

Type Concrete gravity

3. Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat

This dam was the vision of the first deputy prime minister of India, Sardar V. Patel. Pandit Jawarhar-
lal Nehru laid the foundation of this dam on April 5, 1961. Recently, Prime Minister Shri. Narendra
Modi inaugurated the Sardar Sarovar Dam on his 67th birthday.

As the planning of the dam was underway, the dam caught the attention of social activists as it was
alleged that the dam did not meet required environmental and social conditions. Among the activists,
Medha Patkar took the lead to stop the construction of the dam.

Height 163 meters

Length 1,210 meters

River Narmada River

Location Gujarat

Installed Capacity 1,450 MW

Type Gravity Dam

3
  Useful Links

4. Hirakud Dam, Odisha

This dam stands at a height of 60.96 metres on the Mahanadi River. The total cost of construction
was Rs. 1.01 billion in 1957.

Height 60.96 meters

Length 25.8 km

River Mahanadi River

Location Odisha

Installed Capacity 307.5 MW

Type Composite Dam

5. Nagarjunasagar Dam, Telangana

The construction cost was Rs. 1300 crores and is built on the Krishna River at Nagarjuna Sagar.

Height 124 meters

Length 1,450 meters

River Krishna River

Location Telangana

Installed Capacity 816 MW

Type Masonry Dam

4
  Useful Links

List of Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC Exams

Here is a list of important dams in India and the rivers on which they are built on.

State Name River Name

Somasila Dam Pennar River

Andhra Pradesh
Srisailam Dam Krishna River

5
  Useful Links

Ukai Dam Tapti River

Dharoi Dam Sabarmati River

Gujarat
Kadana dam Mahi River

Dantiwada Dam Banas River

Himachal Pradesh and Punjab

Bhakra Nangal Dam Sutlej River
Border

Pandoh Dam Beas River

Himachal Pradesh Nathpa Jhakri Dam Satluj River

Chamera Dam Ravi River

Baglihar Dam Chenab River

Jammu and Kashmir

Dumkhar Hydroelectric
Indus River
Dam

Uri Hydroelectric Dam Jhelum River

Maithon Dam Barakar River

Jharkhand
Chandil Dam Swarnarekha River

Panchet Dam Damodar River

Tunga Bhadra Dam Tungabhadra River

Linganamakki dam Sharavathi River

Kadra Dam Kalinadi River

Karnataka
Alamatti Dam Krishna River

Supa Dam Kalinadi or Kali river

Krishna Raja Sagara

Kaveri River
Dam

6
  Useful Links

Harangi Dam Harangi River

Narayanpur Dam Krishna River

Kodasalli Dam Kali River

Malampuzha Dam Malampuzha River

Peechi Dam Manali River

Idukki Dam Periyar River

Kerala Kundala Dam Kundala Lake

Parambikulam Dam Parambikulam River

Walayar Dam Walayar River

Mullaperiyar Dam Periyar River

Neyyar Dam Neyyar River

Barna Dam Barna River

Madhya Pradesh Bargi Dam Narmada River

Bansagar Dam Sone River

Gandhi Sagar Dam Chambal River

Yeldari Dam Purna river

Ujani Dam Bhima River

Pawna Dam Maval River

Maharashtra
Mulshi Dam Mula River

Koyna Dam Koyna River

Jayakwadi Dam Godavari River

Bhatsa Dam Bhatsa river

7
  Useful Links

Wilson Dam Pravara River

Tansa Dam Tansa river

Panshet Dam Ambi River

Mula Dam Mula river

Kolkewadi Dam Vashishti River

Girna Dam Girana river

Vaitarna Dam Vaitarna river

Khadakwasla Dam Mutha River

Gangapur Dam Godavari river

Radhanagari Dam Bhogawati River

Lower Manair Dam Manair River

Manair River and SRSP Flood

Mid Manair Dam
Flow Canal
Telangana

Upper Manair Dam Manair River and Kudlair River

Singur dam Manjira River

Nizam Sagar Dam Manjira River

Indravati Dam Indravati River

Odisha
Hirakud Dam Mahanadi River

Vaigai Dam Vaigai River

Tamil Nadu
Perunchani Dam Paralayar River

Mettur Dam Kaveri River

Uttarakhand Tehri Dam Bhagirathi River

8
  Useful Links

Dhauli Ganga Dam Dhauli Ganga River

Drawbacks of Dams

While most of us feel that dams are full of benefits, there are some drawbacks that we need to be
aware of.

• First and foremost, the construction of dams has a negative impact on the lives
of people who are staying near the dam.
• In most cases, villages or settlements near the proposed dam areas have to be
relocated. Although this may seem to be a very easy task, it is a mammoth task
for the government authorities.
• There are sentiments associated with areas and relocating people from their
homeland is the biggest constraint that governments have to deal with.

Oldest Dam in India 🌊

In India, the oldest dam is the Grand Anicut Dam or Kallanai Dam which was built on the Cauvery
River by King Karikalan of Chola dynasty in the first century. This dam was built with uneven
stones and stands at a length of 329 meters and a width of 20 meters. The main intention of this dam
was to divert the water across the delta for irrigation purposes.

Now that you know the details of the Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC Exams then you can
click on more links to find more useful GK articles to begin your preparation.

What is Project Tiger? – GK Notes

Wildlife Sanctuaries in India