Bhakra-Nangal project
Topic: Water Resources of India: Availability, Use and Conservation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 3 "Water Resources"; Class 10, Ch 5 "Minerals and Energy Resources"; Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"; Class 12, Ch 4 "Water Resources"
Meaning
The Bhakra-Nangal project is a multipurpose river project on the Satluj. A multipurpose project serves many goals at once, such as irrigation, hydropower, water supply and flood control. The Bhakra dam was completed in 1963. With the Nangal dam lower down the river, it supplies power and canal water to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. It helped make the Green Revolution possible, and Nehru counted such dams among the "temples of modern India".
Example
The Bhakra dam stands at Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh and forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir. The Nangal dam is downstream in Punjab and sends water into canals that irrigate the north-western plains.
Don't confuse with
- Bhakra dam vs Nangal dam: Bhakra is the tall storage dam in Himachal Pradesh. Nangal is the smaller dam downstream in Punjab that diverts the water into canals.
Related concepts
- Multipurpose river project
- Temples of modern India
- Hirakud dam
- Damodar Valley Corporation
- Sardar Sarovar project
- Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project