Tehri Dam is the largest dam in India. Tehri Dam is located in India which is a dam on the Bhagirathi River near Tehri district of Uttarakhand state of India.
The construction started in 1976 and the dam is built at the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Bhilangana rivers. This dam supplies 2400 MW of power.
Tehri is located 200 miles northeast of Delhi, in the state of Uttaranchal. With a height of 260 meters (855 feet), the dam is the fifth tallest in the world and the tallest dam in India. The Tehri dam prevents irrigation, municipal water supply, and a very large reservoir to produce 1,000 megawatts (1,300,000 HP) of hydropower.
History of Tehri dam
The timelines for the Tehri Dam project are summarized as follows:
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- 1961 – A preliminary investigation for the Tehri Dam Project was conducted.
- 1972– On completion of the study (600MW) MW plant with a complete design.
- In 1978 – construction work started with a feasibility study but due to financial, environmental, and social impacts, it got delayed a bit.
- 1986-Technical and financial support was provided by the USSR, but was interrupted several years later with political instability. India was forced to take control of the project and, first of all, it was kept under the guidance of the Irrigation Department of Uttar Pradesh.
- 1988-The Tehri Hydro Development Corporation was formed to manage the dam and 75% of the funding would be provided by the federal government, 25% by the state. Will finance the entire irrigation portion of the Uttar Pradesh project.
- 1990– This project was reconsidered. And the design will be changed to its current multipurpose.
- 2006 – finally Construction of the Tehri Dam was complete.
- 2012 – The second part of the project, the Koteshwar Dam was completed.
- February 2016– – Is The pumped storage of the power plant is slated for commissioning.
Uttarakhand state’s Tehri Hydroelectric dam is a massive 261-meter rock-and-concrete powerplant that supplies large amounts of electricity as well as drinking and irrigation water to the greater part of northern. Which includes Delhi, the second-most populous city in the country.
It has also created a large reservoir that inundated the town of Old Tehri, along with approximately 110 villages, displacing between 50,000 and 100,000 people (Joshi 2006).
Tehri dam case study
Tehri Hydro Power Complex (2400 MW), comprises the following components:
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- Tehri Dam & Hydro Power Plant (1000 MW).
- Koteshwar Hydro Electric Project (400 MW).
- Tehri Pumped Storage Plant (PSP) (1000 MW
| Type of Dam | Embankment, earth and rock-fill |
| River | Bhagirathi River |
| Height | 260.5 m (855 ft) |
| Length | 575 m (1,886 ft) |
| Width (Crest) | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Width (Base) | 1,128 m (3,701 ft) |
| Spillway Type | Gate controlled |
| Spillway Capacity | 15,540 m3/s (549,000 cu ft/s) |
| Total Capacity | 4.0 km3 (3,200,000 acre·ft) |
| Surface Area | 52 km2 (20 sq mi) |
| Turbines | Vertical Francis turbines |
| Installed Capacity | 1,000 MW (1,300,000 hp)Max. Planned: 2,400 MW |
Advantages of Tehri dam
- The power problem of public life was solved.
- People in the surrounding areas of Tehri got employment opportunities.
- Since this dam generates 2400 MW of power, electricity is exported from abroad as well.
- With the construction of this dam, Tehri has become famous not only in India but in all countries of Asia.
- The problem of irrigation was resolved.
The disadvantage of Tehri dam
- People had to give up their entire property in their fields.
- Excessive depletion of natural resources.
- The Old Tehri market was inundated due to the construction of a dam.
- People lost respect for their motherland.
Old Tehri
Before the construction of the dam in Tehri, Tehri Old Tehri was the only metropolis in the entire Garhwal region, where all kinds of facilities were available, such as college hospitals, all kinds of requirements which are presently available in metros today.
Uses of Tehri Dam
- The 260.5 meters high Tehri dam is illuminating not only Uttarakhand but many states of the country.
- Dam water is also used for drinking water and irrigation in some areas of Delhi and UP.
- This dam is considered to be very important from the safety point of view, the ability to withstand high-intensity earthquakes.