Multi-Purpose River Valley Projects of India Notes with PDF

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I. Major River Valley Projects & Dams in India

A. Narmada River Basin

1. Narmada Valley Project
   • Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP)
     • River: Narmada River
     • Location: Near Navgaon, Gujarat
     • Beneficiary States: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan
     • Key Features:
       • Height: 163 meters
       • Power Capacity: 1,450 MW
     • Major Beneficiary: Madhya Pradesh (65.18% of water, 57% of electricity)
     • Controversy: Opposed by the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), led by social activist Medha Patkar, specifically against the raising of the dam’s height.
   • Other Major Dams on the Narmada:
     • The project includes 30 major dams.
     • Examples: Indira Sagar Dam (Khandwa, MP; submerged Harsud; 1,000 MW), Omkareshwar Dam (Khandwa, MP), Bargi Dam.
   • Note: Ban Sagar Dam is built on the Son River, not the Narmada.

B. Satluj River Basin

1. Bhakra Nangal Project
   • River: Satluj River
   • Location: Border of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, near Nangal City.
   • Key Feature: Bhakra Dam is the world’s tallest straight gravity dam.
   • Beneficiary States: A joint project of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan. Benefits also extend to Himachal Pradesh.
   • Related Dam: Nangal Dam is also on the Sutlej River. A key purpose of the upstream dam is to check silt flow into Bhakra Dam.

C. Krishna River Basin

1. Nagarjuna Sagar Project
   • River: Krishna River
   • Location: Border of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, near Nalgonda village.
   • Completion: 1967
   • Structure: 1,550-meter-long masonry dam.
   • Purpose: Multi-purpose project.
   • Irrigation: Provides irrigation to districts of Nalgonda, Khammam (Telangana), and Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam (Andhra Pradesh).
   • Other Dam on Krishna: Almatti Dam.

D. Mahanadi River Basin

1. Hirakud Dam Project
   • River: Mahanadi River
   • Location: 15 km from Sambalpur, Odisha.
   • Structure: Main dam is 4.8 km long; total length with dykes is 25.8 km.
   • Purpose: Major irrigation project.
   • Benefit: Can irrigate approximately 1 million hectares.

E. Chambal River Basin

1. Chambal Valley Project
   • River: Chambal River
   • Type: Joint venture between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
   • Major Dams (in sequence):
     • Gandhi Sagar Dam: First dam, in Mandsaur district, Madhya Pradesh (built 1957-1960).
     • Rana Pratap Sagar Dam: In Rawatbhata, Rajasthan (built 1953-1970).
     • Jawahar Sagar Dam: In Rajasthan.
   • Purpose: Hydroelectric power and irrigation.

F. Ganga River Basin & Tributaries

1. Tehri Dam Project
   • River: Bhagirathi River (a headstream of the Ganga). The Bhilangana River meets the Bhagirathi at the dam site.
   • Location: Tehri district, Uttarakhand.
   • Purpose: Flood control, hydroelectric power, irrigation.
   • Status: Construction started in 1978.
2. Damodar Valley Project
   • River: Damodar River and its tributaries.
   • Governance: Managed by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), established in 1948.
   • Historical Context: Known as the “Sorrow of Bengal” due to floods.
   • Key Dams (on the Barakar River, a tributary): Tilaiya Dam (Koderma, Jharkhand), Maithon Dam, Konar Dam.
3. Rihand Project
   • River: Rihand River (a tributary of the Son River).
   • Reservoir: Creates the Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh (area rich in coal).
4. Other Projects:
   • Ramganga Project: Dam on the Ramganga River (Kalagarh Dam).
   • Matatila Project: Dam on the Betwa River.
   • Rani Laxmibai Dam (Rajghat Dam): On the Betwa River in Lalitpur.

G. Cauvery (Kaveri) River Basin

1. Historical Power Project
   • Shivasamudram Hydropower Project:
     • Location: Cauvery River, Karnataka.
     • Significance: Second-oldest hydroelectric plant in India (commissioned 1902). Primarily for power generation.
   • Other Dam: Mettur Dam (Tamil Nadu).
2. Cauvery Water Dispute
   • Parties Involved: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry.
   • Tribunal Award (2013 – CWDT):
     • Tamil Nadu: 419 TMC
     • Karnataka: 270 TMC
     • Kerala: 30 TMC
     • Puducherry: 7 TMC

H. Other Significant Projects by River

• Tapi River: Ukai Dam, Kakrapar Dam (Gujarat).
• Godavari River: Jayakwadi Project (Maharashtra), Pochampad Project (Telangana/AP). Note: Babli Project on Godavari in Maharashtra is controversial, opposed by Andhra Pradesh.
• Beas River: Pong Dam (Himachal Pradesh); reservoir is Maharana Pratap Sagar (a bird sanctuary).
• Chenab River: Dulhasti Power Station (Jammu & Kashmir), Baglihar Hydroelectric Project (Jammu & Kashmir – a subject of dispute with Pakistan).
• Periyar River: Idukki Dam and Cheruthoni Dam (Kerala).
• Tawa River: Tawa Project (Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh).
• Tungabhadra River: Tungabhadra Project (joint venture of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka).

II. Interstate & International Water Agreements/Disputes

A. Interstate Disputes & Tribunals

• Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal: Involves Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan.
• Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal: Involves Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry.
• Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal: Involves Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra.
• Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal: Involves Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka.
• Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal: Involves Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

B. International Agreements

1. Indus Waters Treaty (1960)
   • Parties: India and Pakistan.
   • Governs: Sharing of waters of the Indus River system.
   • Points of Contention: Tulbul Project (on Jhelum), Baglihar Dam (on Chenab).
2. Mahakali Treaty (1996)
   • Parties: India and Nepal.
   • River: Mahakali River (known as Sharda in India).
   • Purpose: Integrated development, including Sharda Barrage, Tanakpur Barrage, and a proposed multipurpose project.
3. India-Bhutan Cooperation
   • Chukha Dam: Built on Wang Chu/Raidak river in Bhutan with Indian cooperation.
   • Mangdechhu Hydropower Plant: Inaugurated in 2019 in Bhutan by Indian PM Narendra Modi.
   • Bhutan’s Goal: To generate 10,000 MW of hydropower by 2020.

III. Special Category Projects

A. Multi-State Drinking Water Project

• Telugu Ganga Project: A joint venture of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra to supply drinking water to Chennai from the Krishna River.

B. Proposed Project

• Kalpasar Project: A proposed tidal energy and freshwater reservoir project in Gujarat, involving a dam across the Gulf of Khambhat.
• Kishau Dam Project: Proposed on the Tons River (tributary of Yamuna); benefits Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh.

IV. Historical Context & Significant Firsts

• Jawaharlal Nehru called multi-purpose projects the “temples of modern India”.
• Oldest Hydropower Plant in India: Sidrapong Hydropower Station (Darjeeling, West Bengal), commissioned in 1897.
• Second-Oldest Hydropower Plant: Shivasamudram Hydropower Station (Karnataka), commissioned in 1902.

V. Quick Reference: Project-River-State Pairings

Know More About Multi-Purpose River Valley Projects of India:

• Multi-Purpose River Valley Projects of India – Old Year Questions
• Multi-Purpose River Valley Projects of India One Liner Questions & Answers