The Ramganga Dam, also known as the Kalagarh Dam, is an embankment dam

Embankment dam

An embankment dam is a massive artificial water barrier. It is typically created by the emplacement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil, sand, clay and/or rock. It has a semi-permanent waterproof natural covering for its surface, and a dense, waterproof...

 on the Ramganga River 3 km (2 mi) upstream of Kalagarh in Pauri Garhwal district, 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...

. It is located within the Jim Corbett National Park

Jim Corbett National Park

Jim Corbett National Park—named for the hunter and conservationist Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment—is the oldest national park in India. The park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park...

.

Background

The dam is part of the Ramganga Multipurpose Project — an irrigation and hydroelectric project. It supports a 198 MW power station and provides water for the irrigation of 57500 ha (142,085 acre) of farmland. In addition, it provides for flood control and recreation. Construction on the dam began in 1961 and it was completed in 1974. The three generators in the power station were commissioned in December 1975, November 1976 and March 1977.

Design

The dam is a 128 m (420 ft) tall and 715 m (2,346 ft) long earth and rock-fill embankment dam with 10000000 m³ (13,079,506 cu yd) of fill. The dam's spillway

Spillway

A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...

 is controlled by five gates and has a maximum discharge of 8467 m3/s. To support the reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

's elevation, there is a 72 m (236 ft) tall saddle dam on the reservoir's rim 2.5 km (2 mi) to the northeast on the Chui Sot River. The reservoir created by both dams has a 2447000000 cubic metre capacity of which 2190000000 cubic metre is active (or "useful") capacity. The reservoir has a surface of 55 km² (21 sq mi) and a catchment area

Drainage 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...

 of 3134 km² (1,210 sq mi). The power station at the toe of the dam contains three 66 MW Francis turbine

Francis turbine

The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts....

-generators and is afforded 84.4 m (277 ft) of 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...

. Below the dam is a system of over 6300 km (3,915 mi) of canals supported by three barrages

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...

and 82 km (51 mi) of main feeder canal.