Large dams –

ICOLD - A dam with a height of 15 metres or greater from lowest foundation to crest or a dam between
5 metres and 15 metres impounding more than 3 million cubic metres, and defined in greater detail in
the World Register of Dams.(ACCESS REQUIRED)

CWC -Classified as one with a maximum height of more than 15 metres from its deepest foundation to
the crest.

A dam between 10 and 15 metres in height from its deepest foundation is also included in the
classification of a large dam provided it complies with one of the following conditions:

a) Length of crest of the dam is not less than 500 metres or

b) Capacity of the reservoir formed by the dam is not less than one million cubic metres or

c) The maximum flood discharge dealt with by the dam is not less than 2000 cubic metres per second or

d) The dam has specially difficult foundation problems, or

e) The dam is of unusual design.

 At present there are 5264 completed large dams and 437 large dams are under construction in
India.
 Dams of National Importance- 65 with height of more than 100m and above or with storage
capacity of 1km3 completed and 11 are under construction.
 CWC is monitoring live storage status of 91 reservoirs of the country.37 dams with hydropower
benefit each with installed capacity of more than 60 MW(with * below).
River Basins in the country (from CWC):

Ganga Basin: (WRIS)

Tributaries: Yamuna, Ramganga, Ghaghara, Gomti, Sone, Tons, Gandak, Kosi, Punpun, Mahananda,
Mayurakshi, Damodar, Ajay. There are 781 dams in Ganga basin.
  Dams more than 50m height in ganga basin.

S.NO NAME STATE COMPLETIO TYPE LENGTH Max Height of Design Gross Storage
N YEAR (m) dam above capacity(MCM)
Foundation(m)
1 Tehri Dam Uttarakhand 2005 Earthen/Gravity 575 260.5 3540
&Masonry
2 Ramganga Uttarakhand 1974 Earthen 630 127.5 2448
3 Nagi Dam Bihar 1958 Earthen 1884 113.5 108
4 Koteshwar Uttarakhand Gravity& Masonry 300.5 97.5 88.9
Dam
5 Rihand Uttar 1962 Gravity & 932 91.46 10608.32
Dam Pradesh Masonry
6 Badua Bihar 1965 Earthen 457.32 56.6 128.34
7 Ban Sagar Madhya 2006 Earthen/ 1019.9 67.5 6370
Pradesh Gravity/Masonry
8 Barnar Madhya Gravity/Masonry 282.7 76.75 80.21
Pradesh
9 Dhauligan Uttarakhand Rockfill - 56 6.2
ga
10 Gandhi Madhya 1960 Gravity/Masonry 514 62.17 73.22
Sagar Pradesh
11 Ichari Uttarakhand 1972 Gravity/Masonry 155 59.25 6.09
12 Jamrani Uttarakhand Gravity/Masonry 430 130.6 208.6
13 North Koel Jharkhand Earthen 343 67.86 1170
14 RanaPrata Rajasthan 1970 Gravity/Masonry 1143 53.9 2898.7
p Sagar
15 Tenughat Jharkhand 1978 Earthen 6492.24 50.61 1024.7
16 Panchet Jharkhand 1959 Earthen/ 6777 48 1360
Hill Gravity/Masonry
Dams of National Importance-65

Dams with height 100 m and above or with storage capacity of 1 km3 .
Dams according to the seismic zones

Zone 2

1 Srisailam H.E. Project

2 Somasila
3 Nagarjunasagar Dam
4 Sriamasagar
5 Manimata (Hasdeo) Bango
6 Krishnarajasagar
7 Tungabhadra
8 Bhadra Dam
9 Malaprabha
10 Hemavathy Project
11 Supa
12 Almatti
13 Gandhisagar
14 Paithan (Jayakwadi)
15 Isapur
16 Totladoh (Pench Hydel)
17 BALIMELA
18 Upper Kolab
19 Indravati (Upper Indavati
project)
20 Kapur (Upper Indavati project)
21 Muran (Upper Indavati project)
22 Podagada (Upper Indavati
project)
23 RANAPRATAP SAGER
24 MAHI BAJAJ SAGAR
25 BISALPUR
26 Mettur
27 Matatila
28 Rajghat
30 Pulichintala Project
31 Icha at Kuju
32 Chandil
33 North Koel
34 Lower Penganga
Zone 3

35 PS Velegonda Project (Sunkesula

Dam)
36 Ukai
37 Kadana
38 Karjan
39 Sardar Sarovar
40 Maithon Dam
41 Panchet Hill
42 Tenughat
43 Linganamakki Dam
44 Hidkal
45 Lakhya
46 KAKKI (EB)
47 IDUKKI (EB)
48 CHERUTHONI (EB)
49 KULAMAVU (EB)
50 IDAMALAYAR (EB)
51 Tawa
52 Indira Sagar
53 Middle Vaitarna
54 Ujjani
55 Hirakud
56 Rengali
57 Sholayar
58 Rihand
59 Kangsabati
60 Pulichintala Project

Zone 4

61 Bhakra Dam
62 SALAL (Rockfill Dam) NHPC
63 SALAL (Concrete Dam) NHPC
64 Baglihar
65 Koyna
66 Thein (Ranjit Sagar)
67 Ramganga
68 Jamrani
69 Tehri (THDC)
70 PAKAL DUL (Drangdhuran) HEP
71 Virat Sagar
72 Lakhwar
Zone 5

73 Pong Dam
74 Chamera I (NHPC)
75 KOL (NTPC)
76 Subansiri Lower HE Project(NHPC)
77 Tuirial Dam

Dam failures in India

Dam with decreasing storage capacity: