CleanupBot II at 22:56, 13 August 2023

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{{Use Indian English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox dam
| name = Gandhi Sagar
| image = Gandhi Sagar Mandsaur2.JPG
| image_caption = Upstream view of the Gandhi Sagar Dam in 2009
| name_official =Bhadra
| dam_crosses = [[Chambal River]], a tributary of [[Yamuna River]]
| res_name = Multipurpose
| location = [[Mandsaur|Mandsaur District]] [[Madhya Pradesh]]
| operator = [[Water Resources Department, Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Madhya Pradesh Power Corporation]]
| dam_length = {{Convert|514|m|ft}}
| dam_height = {{Convert|62.17|m|ft}}
| plant_hydraulic_head = {{Convert|44|m|ft}}
| dam_width_base =
| construction_began =
| opening =1960 (Stage I)<br>1970 (Stage II)
| cost =Rs. 2.32 billion
| res_capacity_total = {{Convert|7322000000|m3|acre.ft|abbr=on}}
| res_catchment = {{Convert|22584|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
| res_surface = {{Convert|723|km2|abbr=on}}
| location_map =India Madhya Pradesh#India
| location_map_caption = Location of the dam within the state of Madhya Pradesh
| location_map_size =
| coordinates = {{coord|24|42|24|N|75|33|12|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| extra =[http://www.mandsaur.nic.in/tour.htm, Gandhisagar Dam]<ref name=Large>{{Cite web|url= http://www.cwc.nic.in/main/download/National%20Register%20of%20Large%20Dams%202009.pdf|title=National Register of Large Dams|work=Madhya Pradesh Sr No. 124|access-date=10 May 2011|publisher=Central Water Commission}}</ref>
}}
The '''Gandhi Sagar Dam''' is one of the four major [[dam]]s built on [[India]]'s [[Chambal River]]. The dam is located in the [[Mandsaur]], [[Neemuch]] districts of the [[Indian state|state]] of [[Madhya Pradesh]]. It is a masonry gravity dam, standing {{Convert|62.17|m}} high,<ref name=Large/> with a gross storage capacity of 7.322 billion cubic metres from a catchment area of {{Convert|22584|km2|abbr=on}}. The dam's foundation stone was laid by [[Prime Minister of India]] [[Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]] on 7 March 1954,<ref name=Gandhi/> and construction of the main dam was done by leading contractor Dwarka Das Agrawal & Associates and was completed in 1960. Additional dam structures were completed downstream in the 1970s.

The dam sports a 115-MW [[hydroelectric]] power station at its toe, with five 23-MW generating units each providing a total energy generation of about 564 GWh.<ref name=energy>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cercind.gov.in/annexure.pdf|title=Consultancy for formulating operational cost norms including O&M and escalation for Hydro Power for the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission.|work=Gandhi Sagar: Annexure 3, sr.no. 36|access-date=11 May 2011|publisher=Central Electricity Regulatory Commission|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309053001/http://www.cercind.gov.in/annexure.pdf|archive-date=9 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The water released after power generation is used for the irrigation of {{Convert|427000|ha}} by the [[Kota Barrage]], which is located {{Convert|104|km}} downstream of the dam, near the city of [[Kota, Rajasthan|Kota]] in the state of [[Rajasthan]].<ref name=Gandhi>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mandsaur.nic.in/tour.htm|title=Gandhisagar Dam|access-date=11 May 2011|publisher=National Informatics Center Mandsur|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203173238/http://mandsaur.nic.in/tour.htm|archive-date=3 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Valley>{{Cite web|url=http://kotadivision.nic.in/commandareadevlopment.htm|title=Command Area Development Chambal, Kota|access-date=10 May 2011|publisher=Kota Division National Informatics Centre|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323190452/http://kotadivision.nic.in/commandareadevlopment.htm|archive-date=23 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Dams>{{Cite web|url=http://waterresources.rajasthan.gov.in/4chambal.htm|title= Chambal Valley Project|access-date=10 May 2011|publisher=Government of Rajasthan}}</ref>

It attracts many migratory and non-migratory birds throughout the year. The International Bird Life Agency (IBA) has qualified the reservoir under "A4iii" criteria, as the congregation of waterbirds is reported to exceed 20,000 at some points.<ref name=Madhya>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibcn.in/IBA_Book_PDF/28%20%28657_690%29%20MP.pdf|title=Important Bird Areas in India – Madhya Pradesh|work=Gandhisagar Reservoir|access-date=11 May 2011|publisher=IBA}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Gandhi Sagar Dam.JPG|right|thumb|The Gandhi Sagar Dam on the Chambal River.]]
The Chambal River (known in ancient times as the Chamranyavati River) raises in the [[Vindhya Range]] at an elevation of {{Convert|853|m|ft}}, {{Convert|15|km}} west-southwest of the town of [[Mhow]], near [[Indore]]. It flows north-northeast through [[Madhya Pradesh]], runs for a time through [[Rajasthan]], then forms the boundary between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh before turning southeast to join the [[Yamuna River]] in the state of [[Uttar Pradesh]]. Its total length from its source to its [[confluence]] with the Yamuna River is {{Convert|900|km}}.<ref name=hy>{{cite book |title=Hydrology and water resources of India- Volume 57 of Water science and technology library – Tributaries of Yamuna river|last=Jain |first=Sharad K.|author2=Pushpendra K. Agarwal |author3=Vijay P. Singh |year=2007|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4020-5179-1|pages=350–351|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZKs1gBhJSWIC&q=Yamuna+River&pg=RA1-PA345 }}</ref>

The Chambal and its tributaries drain the [[Malwa]] region of northwestern Madhya Pradesh, while its tributary, the [[Banas River|Banas]], which rises in the [[Aravalli Range]], drains southeastern [[Rajasthan]]. At its confluence with the Yamuna, the Chambal joins four other rivers – the Yamuna, [[Kuwari river|Kwari]], [[Kali Sindh River|Sind]], and [[Pahuj River|Pahuj]] – at [[Pachnada]] near [[Bhareh]] in Uttar Pradesh, at the border of the [[Bhind District|Bhind]] and [[Etawah District|Etawah]] districts.<ref name=Chambal>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/104847/Chambal-River#ref=ref172222|title= Chambal River (in Chambal River (river, India)) |access-date=10 May 2011|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref><ref name=River>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/104850/Chambal-Valley|title= Chambal Valley|access-date=10 May 2011|encyclopedia= Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref> The river is drained by a rain-fed catchment area with an average annual rainfall of {{Convert|860|mm}}, a temperature range of between {{Convert|2|C}} and {{Convert|40|C}}, and a relative [[humidity]] ranging from 30% to 90%.<ref name=hy/>

Between {{Convert|344|km}} and {{Convert|440|km}} from the Chambal's source is an area of deep [[Canyon|gorges]]; the Gandhi Sagar Dam is located in the middle reach of this gorge section. The dam is situated at a distance of {{Convert|168|km}} from the district administrative headquarters of [[Mandsaur]].<ref name=Gandhi/>

==Construction history==
[[File:Gandhi Sagar Mandsaur1.JPG|right|thumb|The power station on the right bank of the dam and the downstream bridge across the Chambal River.]]
The [[Chambal River|Chambal River Valley Development]] marked one of the landmark actions of the [[Five-Year plans of India|First Five-Year Plan]] launched by the [[Government of India]] in 1951, after [[History of the Republic of India|India attained independence in August 1947]]. The Chambal River had not until then been used for any major developmental works, and was proposed to be developed under a joint initiative of the state governments of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The three-stage proposal, drawn up in 1953, called for three dams to provide hydroelectric power generation, and a downstream barrage to use stored waters released from the upstream dams for [[irrigation]].<ref name=reduce>{{Cite web|url=http://agropedialabs.iitk.ac.in/gangapedia/sites/default/files/THE%20BIG%20IRRIGATION%20PROJECTS_The%20strong%20case%20for%20reducing%20the%20FRL%20of%20the%20Chambal%20Dam.pdf|title=The strong case for reducing the FRL of the Chambal Dam|access-date=11 May 2011|publisher=AgropediaLabs.iitk.ac.in}}{{Dead link|date=December 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The river's drop of {{Convert|625|m}} between its source in Mhow and the city of Kota, which marks the exit of the river from its gorge section into the plains of Rajasthan, was seen as having great hydroelectric potential.<ref name="Valley" /><ref name=Dams/>

===Stage I===
The first stage of the development involved construction of the Gandhi Sagar Dam to a height of a {{Convert|62.17|m}} as a storage dam to store 7,322,000,000 cubic metres in Madhya Pradesh and use the stored water for hydroelectric power generation, followed by irrigation from the Kota Barrage in Rajasthan, {{Convert|104|km|mi}} downstream of the dam. Power generation at Gandhi Sagar Dam was through a powerhouse at the toe of the dam, with a total installed capacity of 115 MW (divided into five units of 23 MW).<ref name=energy/> The Kota Barrage, an earth and masonry structure {{Convert|37.34|m}} in height, was built to provide irrigation through a canal system, with two main canals on the right and left banks. Construction of both projects began in 1953–54; both began functioning in 1960. The water received at the Kota Barrage is shared equally between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan for irrigation.<ref name=Valley/><ref name=Dams/>

===Stage II===
The second stage of development involved the use of the water released from the Gandhi Sagar Dam through another dam structure, the [[Rana Pratap Sagar Dam]], located {{Convert|48|km|mi}} downstream of the Gandhi Sagar at [[Rawatbhata]] in the [[Chittorgarh District]] of Rajasthan. Additional storage at this dam provides an increase in irrigation benefits from the Kota Barrage, increasing its area of irrigation from {{Convert|445000|ha}} to {{Convert|567000|ha}}. In addition, a powerhouse at the toe of the dam provides an additional hydroelectric power generation capacity of 172 MW from four turbo generators, of 43 MW capacity each. The second stage was completed in 1970. The power generated at the Rana Pratap Sagar Dam is shared equally with Madhya Pradesh, as the Gandhi Sagar Dam provides the stored waters for use at this dam.<ref name=Valley/><ref name=Dams/>

===Stage III===
The third and final stage of development envisaged an intermediate dam between the Rana Pratap Sagar Dam and the Kota Barrage, called the [[Jawahar Sagar Dam]]. This dam is a concrete gravity dam, {{Convert|45|m}} high, located approximately {{Convert|23|km}} upstream of Kota Barrage to its southwest, and provides a hydroelectric power generation capacity of 99 MW, with three generator units of 33 MW capacity each. This project was commissioned in 1972.<ref name=Valley/><ref name=Dams/>

==Features==
[[File:Gandhi Sagar Mandsaur.JPG|right|thumb|Gandhi Sagar Reservoir in 2009.]]
Gandhi Sagar Dam is a masonry gravity dam with a height of {{Convert|62.17|m}} and a length of {{Convert|514|m}}. The reservoir has a gross storage capacity of 7.32 billion cubic metres, with a live storage of 6.79 billion cubic metres corresponding to Full Reservoir Level (FRL) at {{Convert|400|m}}. The spillway of the dam is designed for a discharge of 21,238 cubic metres per second. There are 10 gated spillway spans to pass the designed flood discharge. In addition, 9 river sluices have also been provided, but these have not been functional.<ref name=Large/><ref name=Gandhi/><ref name=Valley/><ref name=Dams/>

The hydroelectric power station is located at the toe of the dam on the right bank. The total flow through the five turbines is 311.15 m<sup>3</sup>/s. The power station has an installation of 142 MW with five turbines of 23 MW and one unit of 27 MW capacity. The power station is {{Convert|65|m}} long and {{Convert|56|ft}} wide. Power is supplied first to the local district and then to other regions of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.<ref name=Gandhi/> The Gandhi Sagar Dam and Power Station were built at a total cost of about Rs. 2.3 billion.<ref name=Gandhi/>

===Reservoir===
The reservoir created by the dam is the third largest in India (after the [[Indirasagar Dam|Indirasagar Reservoir]] and [[Hirakud Dam|Hirakud Reservoir]]), with a total area of {{Convert|723|km2|abbr=on}}. The catchment area of the Chambal River from the [[Vindhyachal]] ranges to the south and [[Aravalli Range|Aravalli]] to the northeast, covering a drainage area of {{Convert|22584|km2|abbr=on}}; important tributaries that discharge into the Chambal upstream of this reservoir include the Shipra, Chhoti, Kalisindh, Ansar, and Rupniya on the eastern side, and the Tilsoi, Edar, Retum and Shivna in the west.<ref name=Reserve>{{Cite web|url= http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/003/V5930E/V5930E09.htm.|title=Gandhisagar Reservoir|access-date=11 May 2011|publisher=FAO.org}}</ref> The maximum length and width of the reservoir are {{Convert|68|km}} and {{Convert|26|km}}, respectively. The Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of {{Convert|36700|ha}}, is shared by the Mandsaur and [[Neemuch district]]s, in the catchment area of the Gandhi Sagar reservoir. The sanctuary's forested area was once a hunting area of the [[Holkar]] royal family of [[Indore]]. The reservoir is under the control of the irrigation and fisheries departments of the [[Government of Madhya Pradesh]], and is mostly used for fisheries development also.<ref name=Madhya/><ref name=Reserve/>

The mean depth of the reservoir is {{Convert|11.73|m}}, with a shore development index of 4.78, and a volume development index of 0.601 at the Full Reservoir Level. Scientific studies indicate that the reservoir is productive as regards fisheries, with the reservoir water indicating a moderate-to-high rate of [[primary productivity]]. Commercial Fisheries was initiated in 1959–60 in Gandhi Sagar, and has been credited as the best-managed reservoir in the state. Fish capture in the reservoir is prohibited between 16 June and 15 August.<ref name=Reserve/> The reservoir attracts many migratory and non-migratory birds throughout the year, has been qualified under "A4iii criteria" by the IBA, as the bird congregation is of more than 20,000 waterbirds.<ref name=Madhya/>

==Suggested reservoir amendment==
Analysis of hydroelectric power generation performed by the three power plants in the Chambal valley has been carried out by a non-governmental agency, based on statistics provided by the Central Electricity Authority under the RTI Act. The results indicate that the Gandhi Sagar reservoir attained its full storage condition only during five years of its first five decades of operation. The energy generation of all the three power plants declined by 25% in the same period of 50 years, relative to the projected 50-year figures. Keeping these aspects in view, it has been suggested that the full reservoir level in the Gandhi Sagar Dam be reduced by suitable operational guidelines, which would enable the release of substantial submergence area for cultivation by the farmers who originally owned these lands.<ref name=reduce/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Commons category|Gandhi Sagar dam|Gandhi Sagar Dam}}

{{stack|}}
{{Hydrography of Madhya Pradesh}}
{{Power Plants of Madhya Pradesh}}
{{Chambal River dams}}

{{Commons category|Gandhi Sagar dam|Gandhi Sagar Dam}}

[[Category:Dams in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Chambal River]]
[[Category:Hydroelectric power stations in Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Geography of Malwa]]
[[Category:Neemuch]]
[[Category:Gravity dams]]
[[Category:Dams on the Yamuna River]]
[[Category:Dams completed in 1960]]
[[Category:1960 establishments in Madhya Pradesh]]

Gandhi Sagar Dam - Revision history

CleanupBot II at 22:56, 13 August 2023