Tehri dam

Tehri Dam is the primary dam of the Tehri Development Project, a major hydroelectric project centered near Tehri Town in the state of Uttarakhand in India. Located on the Bhagirathi River, the principal tributary of the sacred River Ganges, the Tehri Dam has a height of 855 feet (261 m), making it the 5th tallest dam in the world. The dam's intended capabilities include a power generation capacity of 2400 MW, provision of irrigation to an area of 270,000 hectacres, irrigation stabilization to an area of 600,000 hectacres, and a supply of 270 million gallons of drinking water per day to the industrialized areas of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. There is another smaller dam 14 km downstream at Koteshwar that will produce 400 MW of electricity, and is still considered part of the TDP hydroelectric plan. While initially planned with an approximate budget of 4 million U.S. dollars, an equivalent of over 1 billion US dollars has been spent on the construction of the dam to date.

The Tehri Dam has thus been the object of active protestation by environmental organizations and local people of the region. The relocation of more than 100,000 people from the area has led to protracted legal battles over resettlement rights, and ultimately resulted in the project's delayed completion. In addition to the human rights concerns, the project has spurred concerns about the environmental consequences of locating a large dam in the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan foothills. There are further concerns regarding the dam's geological stability. The Tehri dam is located in the Central Himalayan Seismic Gap, a major geologic fault zone. This region was the site of a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in October 1991, with an epicenter 50 km from the location of the dam. Dam proponents claim that the complex is designed to withstand an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude, but some seismologists say that earthquakes with a magnitude of 8.5 or more could occur in this region. Were such a catastrophe to occur, the potentially resulting dam-break would submerge numerous towns downstream, whose populations total near half a million.

Since 2005, filling of the reservoir has led to a reduced flow of Bhagirathi water from the normal 1000 ft³/s to a mere 2 ft³/s. This reduction has been central to local protest against the dam, since the Bhagirathi is considered part of the sacred Ganges whose waters are crucial to Hindu mythology. At some points during the year, the tampering of Bhagirathi waters means this tributary stops flowing. This has created resentment among many Hindus, as the sanctity of the Ganges has been greatly compromised for the generation of electricity. In spite of concerns and protestation, operation of the Tehri Dam continues, and the complex generated its first unit of electricity in June 2006.

Notes

Tehri Dam is world's wonder in the form of engineering marvel.

References

* [http://internationalrivers.org/en/south-asia/india/tehri-dam-fact-sheet "Tehri dam"] , a factsheet published by [http://www.internationalrivers.org/ International Rivers] (October 2002)
* [http://thdc.gov.in/ Official website] of the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited, the organization in charge of the dam's construction
* [http://seven-sisters.blogspot.com/2005/11/tehri-sinking-town.html Tehri: The Sinking Town] a traveller's account of Tehri dam.
* Gaur, Vinod K. and Valdiya, K. S. (1993) "Earthquake Hazard and Large Dams in the Himalaya" Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, New Delhi, ISBN 81-900281-4-X

ee also

* News articles
** [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1699418.stm India goes ahead with Tehri dam] (8 December 2001)
** [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3200075.stm Indian court clears dam project] (2 September 2003)
** [http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2004/06/08/oko-dam/ A Dam Shame] , article from [http://www.grist.org Grist Magazine] (8 June 2004)
** [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3530038.stm India tunnel collapse toll rises] (4 August 2004)
** [http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=255476&sid=ZNS Tehri: The ‘Dam’ned barrier] (12 November 2005)
** [http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?category=National&slug=Tehri+plant+begins+operations&id=90801 Tehri hydroelectric plant begins operations] (30 July 2006)
** [http://www.dailyindia.com/show/47100.php/2400_MW_Tehri_project_to_bridge_north_India_power_gap 2,400 MW Tehri project to bridge north India power gap] (31 July 2006)
** [http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=143&page=14 Tehri Project at Last; Tehri: An environmental hazard?] (3 August 2006)
** [http://en.rian.ru/world/20060908/53657743.html Russia's Power Machines launches first unit of India power plant] (8 September 2006)

*Photographs
** [http://www.woodstock.ac.in/WoodstockOnline/Photos/Content/MSTehriDamNovember2005/Default.htm]
** [http://tehridam.blogspot.com/ Tehri dam pics June 07]