Dam it!

Multi purpose river projects and Integrated water resources Management Std X CBSE As per NCERT geography textbook Contemporary India II

October 1963 Dakotas of the Indian Air Force dipped their wings overhead. Pundit Nehru flicked on the switch of the powerhouse and opened the sluice gates of the dam. Villagers downstream celebrated and set off fireworks
In his speech dedicating the dam to the nation, he called dams as the

Temple of modern India

Which project are we talking about?

Bhakra Dam

It Was oldest wateris A.D. to as 3 football fields the in is thethis thecentury as longharnessstructureis still the 1st of stone, it water regulating the watersto / 2nd first regulating structure and of Made beriver Cauvery. built in in use. very muchIndia?

The Grand Anicut was built during the Chola Dynasty

Photo by Claire Arni and Oriole Henri

A dam is a barrier across flowing water It obstructs, directs, or retards the flow of water. It usually creates a reservoir Surplus water flows out over spillways Sluice / Radial Gates control the flow of water downstream (most gates today are radial gates) Reservoir
Spillways Power House River Gate Generator Long Distance Power Lines

Intake
Turbine River

Classification of Dams
Based on size Large dams (>15 meters) Major dams (over 150 meters in height)
Sometimes also classified as low, medium and high.

Based on structure and material used Timber dams, Arch gravity dams, Embankment dams or Masonry dams, with several sub types.

Based on purpose - Saddle dam, Dry dam, Diversion dam

Why do you think dams are broader at the bottom than at the top?

Earlier water regulating structures impounded water for irrigation Today, as the name suggests they are

Multi-purpose river projects

Power

270 million gallons of drinking water per day 10 the industrialized areas of to million acres in Punjab, 1204 MW Pradesh, Delhi, Himachal Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Haryana and Rajasthan
Tehri

Irrigation

Domestic Kutch ,Saurashtra Water Supply

1920 MW

1181MW controls flooding of the lower delta region by the Mahanadi river 815.6 MW

Flood Control

Inland Navigation

water-skiing, sailing, kayaking, speed boating and water scooter racing

Tehri

fifty one species and sub species of fish. Also a water fowl refuge

Recreation

Fish Breeding

diverts water from the Ganga into the Hoogly during the dry season to flush out accumulated silt and allow navigation through the Hoogly into the port of Kolkata

Temples of modern India

industries

water supply

livelihood + fishing

hydropower for electricity

irrigation

Inland Navigation Flood Control

Temples of modern India?

Loss of natural biodiversity

Displacement of local tribes

Evaporation, Green House Gas emission

Destruction of historical and archaeological sites

Loss of Livelihood

Temples of modern India?

Fragmentation of river ecosystems and Impacts biodiversity
Barrier for movement of migratory fish like the salmon, thereby affecting its population Reduction in natural biodiversity along riverbanks due to reduced natural flooding Alters water temperature downstream, affecting plant and animal life in the reservoir and the river

Reservoir Sedimentation
Sediments that naturally flow in a river are blocked

Reservoir storage capacity reduces

Power generation and water availability reduces

Downstream erosion
Lesser sediments reach downstream

Water flow eats into riverbed and shore (erosion) affects biodiversity in and along the river and increases coastal erosion

Temples of modern India?

Other social and ecological impacts:
Cropping patterns changed to more water intensive crops affects soil quality

Water disputes
Inter-state water disputes Maharastra vs. Karnataka and AP Karnataka vs. TN Between farmers and urban areas Sabarmati basin Cauvery basin
But are water disputes caused by a mismatch in demand and supply? Do dams actually ease disputes by providing water during lean periods? Debate this in class.

the disputes.

Lets play a game

Hangman

Divide the class into 5 teams

Draw as many dashes as in the name of a dam / reservoir / barrage. ________

Team A starts. They guess a letter. The teacher puts in the letter at the correct place, if it is there in the name of the dam. Else, the letter is written down on one side.
A maximum of 10 wrong guesses are allowed. The team gets as many points as letters on the side (maximum of 10). The team with the lowest number of points wins

Point the correct position of the dam/ reservoir / barrage on the map and get 2 points reduced from your points tally

Source: Maps of India

Activity 1
Assign the following roles to students
A bench of 5 Supreme Court Judges
A person who will lose his home and lands by construction of a dam A passionate environmentalist A farmer downstream, plagued by seasonal floods and drought An industrialist A politician from a nearby urban constituency

Activity 1
Select a river in your state Let each party put forward their views on the construction of a multi-purpose river project that will directly affect them Let each party also put forth solutions for opposing factions The judges can take a decision on the project depending on the case put forth

Activity 2

Divide the class into 2 teams

Discuss the pros and cons of the dam built at Tehri or Koyna (let the students research the facts before the classroom discussion)