Which One Is The Longest Dam In India?
The Longest Dam in India: Hirakud dam
Location: Sambalpur, Orissa, in India
Construction Started: In 1948
The Dam Was Completed: In 1953
Started Working Fully: In 1957
River: Mahanadi
Height: 60.96 m
Length: 4.8 km (Total length including embankment 25.8 km)
Reservoir Capacity: 4,779,965 acres
‘Hirakud Dam’ is the longest dam in the world, 25.8 km Tall. This dam is the largest and most important means of irrigation after independence built on the Mahanadi. It is the longest dam in India.
More about Longest Dam in India: Hirakud Dam
Hirakud Dam is one of India’s river valley projects built under the Hirakud project. This dam is 15 km from the Sambalpur district in the state of Odisha. This is the longest dam in India and was built on the Mahanadi River. Let’s now know about some of the features of the longest dam in India:
- The construction of this Hirakud Dam was started in 1948, and it was completed in 1953. In 1957, the dam was fully functioning.
- Due to the dam embankment, a 743 sq. km lake has become a reservoir. This is called ‘Hirakud’.
- This dam is the longest dam in the world. The length of this dam is 4.8 km. And thus its total length, including the embankment, is 25.8 km.
- There are two separate hydroelectric houses in Hirakud Dam
- Three main canals have been removed from the dam. And thus, the ‘Boragarh Canal’ on the right and the ‘Sasan’ and ‘Sambalpur Canal’ on the left side
- The total capacity of powerhouses is 307.5 MW. This power is being used in various factories and industrial units in Orissa, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
- These canals irrigate Sambalpur, Bolangir, Puri, and Cuttack districts
- The lake of this dam is Asia’s largest man-made lake. Its purpose is flood control and power generation.
- Soil, concrete, and other materials used to make Hirakud Dam can be constructed from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and about an eight-meter-wide road from Amritsar to Dibrugarh.
- The best weather is during the monsoon for a visit to the dam, during which the reservoir is filled in the reservoir.
- Provide a calm pace to the farm, the livestock, and the fisherman sector.
Projects on Longest Dam in India: Hirakud Dam
There are 3 dams in the entire Hirakud project, like the Hirakud Dam, the Tikarapara Dam, and the Naraj Dam. It provides 1, 55,635 hectares and 1, 08,385-hectare irrigation to Rabi and Kharif crops, respectively, in Sambalpur, Bargarh, Bolangir, and Subarnapur districts of Odisha.
Water released through PowerHouse irrigates 436,000 hectares in the Mahanadi delta. So, the cumulative capacity of Burla and Chiplima’s two powerhouses is 307.5 MW.
The main objective of the Hirakud dam project is to control the flow of the Mahanadi River, which is a dangerous situation of floods from time to time, with the catchment area of 132,000 sq. km. So, the Hirakund dam accepts an 83400 sq. km (32200 sq. mi) area of the Mahanadi catchment. This is not only India’s longest dam but is also considered the longest dam in the world.
Location of Longest Dam in India: Hirakud Dam
Hirakund dam is in the Sambalpur district along the Mahanadi River. The Hirakud Dam isn’t only the longest dam in India, but also Asia’s largest artificial lake, with a storage volume of 743 sq. km as well as a coastline of more than 640 kilometers.
Construction of Longest Dam in India: Hirakud Dam
The construction of Hirakud Dam began in the year 1937, from the time of the devastating floods. The base of this dam was laid on March 15, 1946, by the governor of Orissa, Sir Hawthorne Lewis. A scheme report was delivered to the government. Then, Jawaharlal Nehru officially inaugurated the Hirakud Dam in 1957. This project started working at its full capacity in 1966.
Canals of Longest Dam in India: Hirakud Dam
The project provides flood protection to 9500 sq. km of delta area in the districts of Cuttack and Puri. The entire irrigated area of the dam’s land has two canal systems. They are the Sasan Canal and Barghad Canal. Thus, each canal is of different types:
- Sasan Canal is of ridge type and
- Barghad Canal is contour type
Purpose of Longest Dam in India: Hirakud Dam
Hirakud Dam controls the flow of the Mahanadi River and thus reduces the conditions of flood in different areas. Not only does this dam controls the flood, but it also relieves the conditions of the drought. One more important task of this dam is to generate hydroelectricity with the assistance of numerous hydroelectric power plants.
Traveler’s Guide:
Hirakud Dam is a giant tourist destination. This dam was built on the Mahanadi River. Located not more than 15 km from Sambalpur. One can visit this dam by traveling to this place for only one day.
It has the distinction of being one of the longest things that human beings have built in the world; its construction started in the year 1957 and has an important place in history. So, this dam stretches over 26 kilometers; it is nearly endless.
The artificial lake created through the construction of the dam provides a panoramic view of the city, which looks good to the eyes. So, the observation tower, the Gandhi Minar on one side of Lake and Jawaharlal Nehru on the other side provide a panoramic view of Lake Minar and the surrounding area.
Provide a calm pace to the farm, livestock, and fishing sector. The best weather for a visit to the dam is during the monsoon. During the monsoon, the reservoir gets filled with water.
