List of Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC Exams - GK Notes in PDF! 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 exams like SBI PO, SSC CGL, SSC CPO, IBPS PO, NABARD, Railways Group D, etc. Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC Exams 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. • 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 metres and width of 20 metres. • The main intention of this dam was to divert the water across the delta for irrigation purposes. 1 | P a g e 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 Ukai Dam Tapti River Dharoi Dam Sabarmati River Gujarat Kadana dam Mahi River Dantiwada Dam Banas River Himachal Pradesh and Bhakra Nangal Dam Sutlej River Punjab 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 2 | P a g e 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 Alamatti Dam Krishna River Karnataka Supa Dam Kalinadi or Kali river Krishna Raja Sagara Kaveri River Dam Harangi Dam Harangi River Narayanpur Dam Krishna River Kodasalli Dam Kali River Malampuzha Dam Malampuzha River Kerala Peechi Dam Manali River Idukki Dam Periyar River 3 | P a g e 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 Wilson Dam Pravara River 4 | P a g e 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 5 | P a g e Vaigai Dam Vaigai River Tamil Nadu Perunchani Dam Paralayar River Mettur Dam Kaveri River Tehri Dam Bhagirathi River Uttarakhand Dhauli Ganga Dam Dhauli Ganga River Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC - Drawbacks! 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. The Sardar Sarovar Dam Project - This dam was the vision of the first deputy prime minister of India, Sardar V. Patel. Pandit Jawarharlal 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. 6 | P a g e 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. Popular & Major Dams in India for Banking & SSC Exam Here are some interesting facts of popular dams in India: 1. Tehri Dam, Uttarakhand – This is the highest dam in India and it stands at a height of 260.5 metres. 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. 2. Bhakra Dam, Himachal Pradesh – Standing at 226 metres tall, this dam is built over the Setlej 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. 3. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana – This dam is the fourth largest dam in India and stands at a height of 124 meters. The construction cost was Rs. 1300 crores and is built on the Krishna River at Nagarjuna Sagar. 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. 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. 7 | P a g e GK Notes on Project Elephant What is Project Tiger? – GK Notes Wildlife Sanctuaries in India Environment Notes – Types of Habitat 2 Environment Notes – Types of Habitat 1 As we all know, practice is the key to success. Therefore, boost your preparation by starting your practice now. Solve Practice Questions for Free Furthermore, chat with your fellow aspirants and our experts to get your doubts cleared on Testbook Discuss: Go to Testbook Discuss! 8 | P a g e .