Rivers & Dams
🔖 Quick Revision: Rivers & Dams
🌊 Lifeline Rivers & Their Major Dams
| River | Dam | State | Purpose/Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ganga | Tehri | Uttarakhand | Highest in India (260.5 m) |
| Sutlej | Bhakra Nangal | Himachal-Punjab | “Temple of Modern India” (Nehru) |
| Ravi | Ranjit Sagar (Thein) | Punjab | Largest hydro-potential in Punjab |
| Beas | Pong (Maharana Pratap Sagar) | Himachal | Ramsar wetland |
| Yamuna | Lakhwar Vyasi | Uttarakhand | Under construction |
| Chambal | Gandhi Sagar, Rana Pratap, Jawahar Sagar | M.P.-Rajasthan | Chain of 4 dams |
| Narmada | Sardar Sarovar | Gujarat | 2nd largest concrete dam world |
| Tapti | Ukai | Gujarat | “Jewel of S. Gujarat” |
| Godavari | Sriram Sagar, Polavaram* | Telangana-AP | Polavaram = National project |
| Krishna | Nagarjuna Sagar, Srisailam | Telangana-AP | World’s tallest masonry dam (NS) |
| Kaveri | Mettur, Krishnaraja Sagar | TN-Karnataka | KRS = “Mysore’s lifeline” |
| Mahanadi | Hirakud | Odisha | Longest dam in India (25.8 km) |
| Brahmaputra | Ranganadi, Subansiri (lower) | Arunachal-Assam | Subansiri = biggest under-construction |
🏗️ Quick Facts
- Highest – Tehri (260.5 m)
- Longest – Hirakud (25.8 km)
- Oldest – Kallanai (Grand Anicut) on Kaveri, 2nd c. CE
- Total NHPC dams – 24 (max in HP & JK)
- Perennial rivers – Himalayan (snow-fed)
- Peninsular rivers – Rain-fed (90% non-perennial)
🧠 Memory Tricks
- “B-S-G-H-N” – Bhakra, Sardar, Gandhi, Hirakud, Nagarjuna → top 5 longest/highest
- “T-S-R” – Tehri (highest), Sardar (biggest concrete), Rana Pratap (Chambal)
- “K-3” – Kaveri, Krishna, Kosi (all start with ‘K’) but Kaveri is Karnataka-TN dispute river
- Godavari = “Grand old man” – longest peninsular river
📏 Formulas / Data
- Hydro capacity share – ≈ 13 % of India’s total installed
- World’s highest – Jinping-I (China, 305 m)
- Dam equation: Dead storage + Live storage = Gross storage
BETA
