Bakra Dam
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: NDTV
Context: The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) ordered the release of 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, sparking strong opposition from the Punjab government, which cited an ongoing water crisis.
About Bhakra Dam:
• Location: Situated on the Sutlej River near Bhakra village in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, around 13 km upstream from Nangal (Punjab). Bhakra dam is in Himachal, while Nangal is in Punjab.
• Bhakra dam is in Himachal, while Nangal is in Punjab.
• States involved: Jointly managed by Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh via BBMB.
• Key Features: Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam. Asia’s second tallest dam: Height of 55 meters. Gobind Sagar Reservoir: Capacity of 34 billion cubic meters, India’s second largest after Indira Sagar. Provides irrigation, hydroelectric power, flood control, and drinking water to several states. It is known as the “New Temple of Resurgent India” by Jawaharlal Nehru. Nangal dam is another dam downstream of Bhakra dam. Sometimes both the dams together are called Bhakra-Nangal dam though they are two separate dams.
• Bhakra Dam is a concrete gravity dam.
• Asia’s second tallest dam: Height of 55 meters.
• Gobind Sagar Reservoir: Capacity of 34 billion cubic meters, India’s second largest after Indira Sagar.
• Provides irrigation, hydroelectric power, flood control, and drinking water to several states.
• It is known as the “New Temple of Resurgent India” by Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Nangal dam is another dam downstream of Bhakra dam. Sometimes both the dams together are called Bhakra-Nangal dam though they are two separate dams.
About Sutlej River:
• Origin: Rises from Lake Rakshastal, near Mount Kailash in southwestern Tibet, at an elevation of over 15,000 feet (4,600 metres). It is one of the three trans-Himalayan rivers that originate in Tibet and cut through the Himalayas, along with the Indus and Brahmaputra.
• Rises from Lake Rakshastal, near Mount Kailash in southwestern Tibet, at an elevation of over 15,000 feet (4,600 metres).
• It is one of the three trans-Himalayan rivers that originate in Tibet and cut through the Himalayas, along with the Indus and Brahmaputra.
• States it flows through: Tibet (China), Himachal Pradesh (India), Punjab (India), and Pakistan. Entry into India through the Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh.
• Entry into India through the Shipki La Pass in Himachal Pradesh.
• Tributaries of Sutlej: Left-bank tributaries: Spiti River, Baspa River, and Nogli Khad. Right-bank tributaries: Soan River and Ghaggar-Hakra (historically connected)
• Left-bank tributaries: Spiti River, Baspa River, and Nogli Khad.
• Right-bank tributaries: Soan River and Ghaggar-Hakra (historically connected)
• Sutlej as a Tributary: Sutlej is the longest of the five tributaries of the Indus River. After joining the Beas River in Punjab, it continues into Pakistan, meets the Chenab, and together they form the Panjnad, which ultimately merges into the Indus River.
• Sutlej is the longest of the five tributaries of the Indus River.
• After joining the Beas River in Punjab, it continues into Pakistan, meets the Chenab, and together they form the Panjnad, which ultimately merges into the Indus River.
• Major Hydroelectric & Irrigation Projects: Bhakra-Nangal Project, Nathpa Jhakri Hydroelectric Project (Himachal Pradesh), Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Plant, Sutlej Valley Project, and Sirhind Canal System.