A super structure that changed the fortunes of vast land and lives of
millions of people, and an architectural wonder in its own right,
Bhakra Dam, is celebrating 50 years of its existence as it was dedicated
to the nation on October 22, 1963.
The dam boasts not just of its sheer size, being the 23rd tallest reservoir in world measuring 741 feet, but the huge tracts of land it irrigates. In essence, it makes Punjab and Haryana, the food bowls of the country that they are, the biggest suppliers of wheat and paddy to the central food grain kitty.
Consider this: Bhakra Dam irrigated 26,304.6 sq km of new land - nearly the size of African nation Rwanda. In about 3,642 sq km of land, the dam has improved irrigation and that's the size of South Georgia and far bigger than Mauritius in the Pacific Ocean or Luxembourg in Europe. In all, the reservoir is the lifeline for 40,000 sq km of farm land - that's more than the size of Bhutan and nearly that of Switzerland. Not just that, its catchment area is 56980 sq km - which is bigger than Croatia.
Built at the cost of Rs 245.28 crore (1963 price index), the dam used 1.016 lakh tonnes of steel to build it up. Commissioned by Jawaharlal Nehru, it was independent India's first ambitious project. As such, it spurred a sense of pride, with Nehru visiting the Bhakra Dam site several times before it was finally ready. Construction of the dam started in 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru poured the first bucket of concrete into the foundation of Bhakra on November 18, 1955 and the dam was completed by the end of 1963.
Location
Situated at Bhakra village of district Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, about 13km upstream from Nangal town in Punjab, it is one of the highest straight gravity dams in the world. The reservoir is about 90km long covering an area of about 168 sq km, of which 90% is in Bilaspur and the remaining in Una district.
The dam boasts not just of its sheer size, being the 23rd tallest reservoir in world measuring 741 feet, but the huge tracts of land it irrigates. In essence, it makes Punjab and Haryana, the food bowls of the country that they are, the biggest suppliers of wheat and paddy to the central food grain kitty.
Consider this: Bhakra Dam irrigated 26,304.6 sq km of new land - nearly the size of African nation Rwanda. In about 3,642 sq km of land, the dam has improved irrigation and that's the size of South Georgia and far bigger than Mauritius in the Pacific Ocean or Luxembourg in Europe. In all, the reservoir is the lifeline for 40,000 sq km of farm land - that's more than the size of Bhutan and nearly that of Switzerland. Not just that, its catchment area is 56980 sq km - which is bigger than Croatia.
Built at the cost of Rs 245.28 crore (1963 price index), the dam used 1.016 lakh tonnes of steel to build it up. Commissioned by Jawaharlal Nehru, it was independent India's first ambitious project. As such, it spurred a sense of pride, with Nehru visiting the Bhakra Dam site several times before it was finally ready. Construction of the dam started in 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru poured the first bucket of concrete into the foundation of Bhakra on November 18, 1955 and the dam was completed by the end of 1963.
Location
Situated at Bhakra village of district Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, about 13km upstream from Nangal town in Punjab, it is one of the highest straight gravity dams in the world. The reservoir is about 90km long covering an area of about 168 sq km, of which 90% is in Bilaspur and the remaining in Una district.
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