CT Logo

Dams in the modern-day economy of the country play a vital role in building the nation.

They are constructed for a specific purpose such as water supply, flood control, irrigation, navigation, sedimentation control, and hydropower.

A dam is a cornerstone in the development and management of water resources development of a river basin. The multipurpose dam is a very important project for developing countries because the population receives domestic and economic benefits from a single investment.

Demand for water is steadily increasing throughout the world. In fact, on a serious note, it is said the third world war will be fought for water.

Life on earth without water is unimaginable. It is the most important resource apart from air and land.

During the past three centuries, the amount of water withdrawn from freshwater resources has increased by a factor of 35, world population by a factor of 8. With the present world population of 5.6 billion still growing at a rate of about 90 million per year, and with their legitimate expectations of higher standards of living, global water demand is expected to rise by a further 2-3 percent annually in the decades ahead.

But freshwater resources are limited and unevenly distributed. In the high-consumption countries with rich resources and a highly developed technical infrastructure, the many ways of conserving, recycling, and re-using water may more or less suffice to curb further growth in supply. In many other regions, however, water availability is critical to any further development above the present unsatisfactorily low level, and even to the mere survival of existing communities or to meet the continuously growing demand originating from the rapid increase of their population. In these regions, man cannot forego the contribution to be made by dams and reservoirs to the harnessing of water resources.

Thus in tapping the water which otherwise flows into the sea without its utilization to serve the human need, Dams play a vital role in utilizing this energy.

Even otherwise in today's modern society of applying management principles the water management play a vital role and Dams contribute a great deal to managing water.

Dams also help control seasonal variations and climatic irregularities. It also helps the efficient use of river runoff, with flooding and drought causing problems of catastrophic proportions.

For almost 5 000 years dams have served to ensure an adequate supply of water by storing water in times of surplus and releasing it in times of scarcity, thus also preventing or mitigating floods.

With their present aggregate storage capacity of about 6 000 km, dams clearly make a significant contribution to the efficient management of finite water resources that are unevenly distributed and subject to large seasonal fluctuations.

After independence, India has made lots of progress in dams and water reservoirs.

India is one of the world's most prolific dam-builders. Around 4300 large dams are already constructed and many more are in the pipeline. Almost half of the existing dams in India are more than twenty years old. Apart from the multipurpose usage of the dams, these dams are also a major attraction for tourists from all over India.

Some of the noteworthy dams of India are:

• TEHRI DA

• MULLAPERIYAR DAM

• BHAKRA DAM

• HIRAKUD DAM

• NAGARJUNA SAGAR DAM

• SARDAR SAROVAR DAM

• INDIRASAGAR DAM

• TUNGABHADRA DAM

• BHAVANISAGAR DAM

Canal irrigation is the most important form of irrigation in India. It is cheaper and is of the greatest advantage in the river valley regions.

In canal irrigation, U.P. stands first in India, followed by Punjab and Haryana. Canal irrigation is of much use in the deltas of rivers, the Godavari, the Krishna, the Kaveri, and the Mahanadi and the Ganga, and in the coastal plains of Kerala.

The role of Canal irrigation for the modernization of irrigation in India is immeasurable. Modern Canal irrigation is now conducted, controlled, and administered as a part and parcel of river valley projects.

Canals in India are planned to serve a dual purpose. They provide irrigation facilities and control floods. Many of these river valley projects are called multipurpose projects as they serve manifold benefits such as flood control, irrigation, and generation of power, etc.

The canal irrigation is of two types, namely: Inundation Canal and Perennial Canal.

Inundation canals are taken out from the rivers. These canals do not have any kind of weir at their head to regulate the flow of water from the river. During the rainy season, the river gets flooded and the floodwater overflows into these canals. Many canals of these types are found on the Sutlej-Ganga plains and Brahmaputra valley. These canals constitute a simple floodwater drainage system. The supply of irrigation water through the inundation canal is dependent on rainfall. Besides, irrigation is restricted to the land lying on a level lower than the river valleys. Moreover, during winter these canals are practical of no use. In modern India, attempts are being made to convert them into perennial canals with the help of river valley projects.

Perennial canals are those canals that maintain their flow of water throughout the year even during the winter season. These canals draw their water either from rivers or from the reservoir of the river projects. A weir is built below the intake of the canal, the intake itself being regulated by sluice gates