World’s Highest Straight Gravity Dam: Bhakhra Dam

It’s the one top most dams classified as straight gravity dams. This Dam, at 741 ft (226 m) is the highest one as compared to USA’s largest Hoover Dam (Arched gravity dam). The 90 km long reservoir of this dam is spread over 168.35 sq km, which stores 9.34 billion cubic meters of water which is capable to drain almost 3 states ahead it (Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi). To know more keep reading the post ahead…….

What do you mean by “DAM”??

Dam is a great structure provided for storage or impounding of water for any specific purpose (Power generation, irrigation, etc.). In simple words dam is a structure made for retaining flowing water and rising up water level.

In little a bit more professional type dam may be described as a massive barrier built across a river or a stream to confine and utilize the flow of natural water for human purposes such as power generation or irrigation etc. This confinement of water leads to form reservoirs or lakes. 

The first dam was constructed in 2900 B.C. across Nile River for protecting city along with river from flooding. As per a survey 800,000 dams have been constructed worldwide for drinking water, flood control, hydropower, irrigation and water storage.

The dam is constructed due to further reasons-:

• Generation of hydroelectricity.
• Irrigation purpose, Diversion Dams in which natural flow of river is stopped and sent to a different place.
• Controlling flood, Detention Dams in which the rate of flow of water is controlled properly or diverted into a safe direction.

Types of Dams

Dams may be caused because of human agencies, natural causes etc. The dams created by human beings are mainly classified on the bases of the size, structure, its purpose and type of working.  

Different types of the dams are elaborated as follows-

On bases of structures, dams are classified as –

• Arch Dam.
• Gravity Dam.
• Arch-Gravity Dam.
• Barrages Dam.
• Embankment Dam.

What is a Gravity Dam??

A gravity dam is the masonry or concrete dam in which all forces exerting on it are resisted by its own weight. Concrete gravity dam usually run in a straight line across the broad valley and resist the horizontal of the water stored in reservoir. Considerably there are mainly three forces mainly acting on the dam are –

• Horizontal thrust of the water stored in the reservoir.
• The weight of the dam with gravity force.
• And the pressure exerted by the foundation.

The force due to which the dam body becomes rigid and constant at its place is its own weight with gravity force acting on it. The water pressure acting on the body of the dam tends to move the body of dam from its place of execution. As said earlier the weight of dam body resists the force acting on it, the designer ensures that the weight of the dam body is enough heavy to resist the forces acting on it.

Furthermore, the designer focuses on the shape of the dam to be created, so that the body of dam remains in its position during the action of gravity force. Here the shape so created for preventing upper face from tension will also balance the compression stress in the downstream face.   

World’s Highest Straight Gravity Dam

While it’s all about highest straight gravity dam, there is one and only one dam named as “BHAKHRA DAM” situated in Bilaspur District of Himachal Pradesh India.

Bhakhra dam is a concrete gravity dam across river Sutlej or Satluj nearby border of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. It’s second tallest dam of India at 225.55m height (740 ft). The length of the dam is 518.55 m and width is 9.1 m broad. The water retained by the dam makes a reservoir named as “Gobind Sagar” which is 90 kms long and spread over an area of 168.35 sq kms. This reservoir is capable of storing 9.34 billion cubic meters of water, which is second largest reservoir of India (First one is the Indira Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh having Capacity of 12.22 billion cubic meters.). Construction of this dam was started in 1948 and dam was completed in 1970. On 30 October 2013 Bhakhra dam celebrating its 50 years of construction.

This dam is a part of multipurpose Bhakhra project, whose aim is to protect flooding, irrigation and mainly hydro-electricity generation. This dam provides irrigation facility to 10 million acres (40,000 sq km) fields of Himachal, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

This dam is being a tourist destination and attraction point because of its attractive location and being second highest dam in India. So, that’s all here for you guys. The article will be updated time to time if required.

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