Bhimgoda Barrage
Encyclopedia
The Bhimgoda Barrage, also referred to as the Bhimgoda Weir or Bhimgoda Head Works, is a barrage
on the Ganges River
at Har ki Pauri
near Haridwar
in Haridwar district
, Uttarakhand
, India
. Built as the headworks
of the Upper Ganges Canal, an initial barrage was completed by 1854 and replaced twice; the final one completed in 1983. The primary purpose for the barrage is irrigation but it also serves to provide water for hydroelectric power production and control floods. The area behind the barrage is known as the Neel Dhara Bird Sanctuary and is a popular destination for various waterbirds and tourists.
The initial barrage was constructed between 1840 and 1854 to supply the Upper Ganges Canal with water and control flooding. This was done during a significant period of infrastructure development in India. Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of India
at the time inaugurated the project. A permanent barrage was later erected 3 km (2 mi) upstream of the barrage between 1913 and 1920 to better support the canal. A new barrage was constructed downstream between 1979 and 1983 to replace the older barrage upstream. The Pathri and Mohanpur Mohammadpur
Power Plants along the canal's length were commissioned in 1955 and 1952, respectively.
. It contains 15 spillways gates and 7 undersluice gates, all 18 m (59 ft) wide. The flood discharge of the barrage is 19300 m3/s. Adjacent to it, on the right bank of the river, the barrage diverts water into the Upper Ganges Canal. The canal system is immense, consisting of 6450 km (4,008 mi) of main canal and branches, providing irrigation for up to 2023000 ha (4,998,937 acre). At a distance of 13 km (8 mi) down the main canal, water reaches the 20.4 MW Pathri Power Plant at 29°42′12"N 77°51′38"E. It contains three 6.8 MW Kaplan turbine
-generators and has a design hydraulic head
of 9.75 m (32 ft). Further down the main canal, and south of Manglaur
, is the 9.3 MW Mohammadpur Power Plant at 29°42′12"N 77°51′38"E. It contains three 3.1 MW Kaplan turbine-generators and has a design head of 5.79 m (19 ft). The design discharge of both power plants is about 255 m3/s. Although both power plants are owned by Uttaranchal Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd., canal flows are regulated by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department.
Barrage (dam)
A barrage is a type of dam which consists of a line of large gates that can be opened or closed to control the amount of water passing the dam. The gates are set between flanking piers which are responsible for supporting the water load...
on the Ganges River
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
at Har ki Pauri
Har ki Pauri
Har Ki Pauri is a famous ghat on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar in Uttarakhand state in India. This revered place is the major landmark of the holy city of Haridwar. Literally, "Har" means "Lord Shiva", "ki" means "of" and "paudi" means "steps". Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are believed to...
near Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
in Haridwar district
Haridwar District
Haridwar district is a district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is headquartered at Haridwar which is also its largest city. The district is ringed by the districts Dehradun in the north and east, Pauri Garhwal in the east and the Uttar Pradesh districts of Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor in the...
, Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Built as the headworks
Headworks
Headworks is a civil engineering term for any structure at the head or diversion point of a waterway. It is smaller than a barrage and is used to divert water from a river into a canal or from a large canal into a smaller canal....
of the Upper Ganges Canal, an initial barrage was completed by 1854 and replaced twice; the final one completed in 1983. The primary purpose for the barrage is irrigation but it also serves to provide water for hydroelectric power production and control floods. The area behind the barrage is known as the Neel Dhara Bird Sanctuary and is a popular destination for various waterbirds and tourists.
Background
Governor-General of India
The Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
at the time inaugurated the project. A permanent barrage was later erected 3 km (2 mi) upstream of the barrage between 1913 and 1920 to better support the canal. A new barrage was constructed downstream between 1979 and 1983 to replace the older barrage upstream. The Pathri and Mohanpur Mohammadpur
Mohanpur Mohammadpur
Mohanpur Mohammadpur is a census town in Haridwar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.-Geography:Mohanpur Mohammadpur is located at . It has an average elevation of 240 metres .-Demographics:...
Power Plants along the canal's length were commissioned in 1955 and 1952, respectively.
Design and operation
The barrage is 455 m (1,493 ft) long and sits at the head of a 23000 square kilometre catchment areaDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
. It contains 15 spillways gates and 7 undersluice gates, all 18 m (59 ft) wide. The flood discharge of the barrage is 19300 m3/s. Adjacent to it, on the right bank of the river, the barrage diverts water into the Upper Ganges Canal. The canal system is immense, consisting of 6450 km (4,008 mi) of main canal and branches, providing irrigation for up to 2023000 ha (4,998,937 acre). At a distance of 13 km (8 mi) down the main canal, water reaches the 20.4 MW Pathri Power Plant at 29°42′12"N 77°51′38"E. It contains three 6.8 MW Kaplan turbine
Kaplan turbine
The Kaplan turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable blades. It was developed in 1913 by the Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, who combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to achieve efficiency over a wide range of flow and...
-generators and has a design hydraulic head
Hydraulic head
Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of water pressure above a geodetic datum. It is usually measured as a water surface elevation, expressed in units of length, at the entrance of a piezometer...
of 9.75 m (32 ft). Further down the main canal, and south of Manglaur
Manglaur
Manglaur is a city and a municipal board in Haridwar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.-Demographics: India census, Manglaur had a population of 42,782. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Manglaur has an average literacy rate of 37%, lower than the national average...
, is the 9.3 MW Mohammadpur Power Plant at 29°42′12"N 77°51′38"E. It contains three 3.1 MW Kaplan turbine-generators and has a design head of 5.79 m (19 ft). The design discharge of both power plants is about 255 m3/s. Although both power plants are owned by Uttaranchal Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd., canal flows are regulated by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department.