A dam is a barrier that is usually built across a river, a stream, or an estuary to retain water and the purpose to build a dam is to provide water for irrigating, Hydroelectric power plants, human daily uses, or for use in industrial processes. India has 5,202 large dams. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), a large dam is one with height of at least 15m from its deepest foundation to the crest. This is not an exhaustive list as there are a number of small dams and barrages
List of Dam Name with River Name (State Wise)
| Name of Dam | River Name | State Name |
| Nizam Sagar Dam | Manjira River | Telangana |
| Somasila Dam | Pennar River | Andhra Pradesh |
| Srisailam Dam | Krishna River | Andhra Pradesh |
| Singur dam | Manjira River | Telangana |
| Ukai Dam | Tapti River | Gujarat |
| Dharoi Dam | Sabarmati River | Gujarat |
| Kadana dam | Mahi River | Gujarat |
| Dantiwada Dam | Banas River | Gujarat |
| Pandoh Dam | Beas River | Himachal Pradesh |
| Bhakra Nangal Dam | Sutlej River | Himachal Pradesh and Punjab Border |
| Nathpa Jhakri Dam | Satluj River | Himachal Pradesh |
| Chamera Dam | Ravi River | Himachal Pradesh |
| Baglihar Dam | Chenab River | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Dumkhar Hydroelectric Dam | Indus River | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Uri Hydroelectric Dam | Jhelum River | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Maithon Dam | Barakar River | Jharkhand |
| Chandil Dam | Swarnarekha River | Jharkhand |
| Panchet Dam | Damodar River | Jharkhand |
| Tunga Bhadra Dam | Tungabhadra River | Karnataka |
| Linganamakki dam | Sharavathi River | Karnataka |
| Kadra Dam | Kalinadi River | Karnataka |
| Alamatti Dam | Krishna River | Karnataka |
| Supa Dam | Kalinadi or Kali river | Karnataka |
| Krishna Raja Sagara Dam | Kaveri River | Karnataka |
| Harangi Dam | Harangi River | Karnataka |
| Narayanpur Dam | Krishna River | Karnataka |
| Kodasalli Dam | Kali River | Karnataka |
| Malampuzha Dam | Malampuzha River | Kerala |
| Peechi Dam | Manali River | Kerala |
| Idukki Dam | Periyar River | Kerala |
| Kundala Dam | Kundala Lake | Kerala |
| Parambikulam Dam | Parambikulam River | Kerala |
| Walayar Dam | Walayar River | Kerala |
| Mullaperiyar Dam | Periyar River | Kerala |
| Neyyar Dam | Neyyar River | Kerala |
| Rajghat Dam | Betwa River | Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Border |
| Barna Dam | Barna River | Madhya Pradesh |
| Bargi Dam | Narmada River | Madhya Pradesh |
| Bansagar Dam | Sone River | Madhya Pradesh |
| Gandhi Sagar Dam | Chambal River | Madhya Pradesh |
| Yeldari Dam | Purna river | Maharashtra |
| Ujani Dam | Bhima River | Maharashtra |
| Pawna Dam | Maval River | Maharashtra |
| Mulshi Dam | Mula River | Maharashtra |
| Koyna Dam | Koyna River | Maharashtra |
| Jayakwadi Dam | Godavari River | Maharashtra |
| Bhatsa Dam | Bhatsa river | Maharashtra |
| Wilson Dam | Pravara River | Maharashtra |
| Tansa Dam | Tansa river | Maharashtra |
| Panshet Dam | Ambi River | Maharashtra |
| Mula Dam | Mula river | Maharashtra |
| Kolkewadi Dam | Vashishti River | Maharashtra |
| Girna Dam | Girana river | Maharashtra |
| Vaitarna Dam | Vaitarna river | Maharashtra |
| Radhanagari Dam | Bhogawati River | Telangana |
| Lower Manair Dam | Manair River | Telangana |
| Mid Manair Dam | Manair River and SRSP Flood Flow Canal | Telangana |
| Upper Manair Dam | Manair River and Kudlair River | Telangana |
| Khadakwasla Dam | Mutha River | Maharashtra |
| Gangapur Dam | Godavari river | Maharashtra |
| Jalaput Dam | Machkund River | Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Border |
| Indravati Dam | Indravati River | Odisha |
| Hirakud Dam | Mahanadi River | Odisha |
| Vaigai Dam | Vaigai River | Tamil Nadu |
| Perunchani Dam | Paralayar River | Tamil Nadu |
| Mettur Dam | Kaveri River | Tamil Nadu |
| Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar Dam / Rihand dam | Rihand River | Uttar Pradesh |
| Tehri Dam | Bhagirathi River | Uttarakhand |
| Dhauli Ganga Dam | Dhauli Ganga River | Uttarakhand |
Oldest Dam in India Kallanai Dam(Tamil Nadu)
- River: Kaveri
- Location: Tamil Nadu
- Construction Began/Completion: 100 BC –100 AD
Highest Dam in India Tehri Dam (Uttarakhand)
- Height: 260 meters
- Length: 575 meters
- River: Bhagirathi River
- Location: Uttarakhand
- Year of completion:2006 (1st phase)
Longest Dam in India Hirakud Dam (Odisha)
- Total Length: 25.79 km
- Length of Main Dam:4.8 km
- River: Mahanadi
- Location: Odisha
- Year of completion:1953
List of Dam In India Longest, Largest, Highest, Oldest
Tehri Dam – Uttarakhand
Tehri Dam located on the Bhagirathi River, Uttaranchal now become Uttarakhand. Tehri Dam is the highest dam in India,with a height of 261 meters and the eighth tallest dam in the world. The high rock and earth-fill embankment dam first phase was completed in 2006 and other two phases are under construction. The Dam water reservoir use for irrigation, municipal water supply and the generation of 1,000 MW of hydroelectricity.
Height: 260 meters
Length: 575 meters
Inflow: Bhagirathi
Location: Uttarkhand
Capacity (Acre Ft): 2,100,000
Indira Sagar Dam, Madhya Pradesh
Located along the banks of the Narmada river, one of the most prominent rivers in India in terms of both size, presence and utility, it is located in the Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh and stores the largest amount of water for any dam in India. Indira Sagar Dam is also involved in power generation and irrigation and has become very popular with tourists. The Indira Sagar Dam is the largest dam in India, in terms of volume of water stored in the reservoir. It is located on the Narmada River at the town of Narmada Nagar, Punasa in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh in India
Hirakud dam – Odisha
It came into being in 1957 and stands tall on the Mahanadi river. It is one of the first major multipurpose river valley projects in India. This is a composite dam and reservoir and is in the city of Sambalpur in Odisha. It comes under the government of Odisha. It is 200 ft tall and 55 km long and is the longest Dam in India.
Height: 60.96 meters
Length: 25.8 meters
Inflow: Mahanadi
Location: Orissa
Capacity (Acre Ft): 4,779,965
Bhakra Nangal Dam – Himachal Pradesh
It came into being in 1963 and stands tall on the Sutlej river. This is the third-largest reservoir in India and is in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh. It is a concrete gravity dam and comes under the state government of Himachal Pradesh. It is 741 ft high and receives a lot of tourist attractions in the country.
Height: 226 meters
Length: 520 meters
Inflow: Sutlej
Location: Punjab & Himachal Pradesh
Capacity (Acre Ft): 7,501,775
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
The world’s largest masonry dam, the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is built on the mighty river Krishna. The dam is 490 feet tall, 16 kilometres long with 26 gates and has a capacity for 11, 472 million cubic meters. The majestic structure, coupled with irresistible beauty attracts a large number of tourists. The dam is named after a Buddhist monk Acharya Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna Sagar irrigates the districts of Nalgonda, Guntur, Khammam and Prakasam, an area more than 10 lakh acre.
Height: 124 meters
Length: 1,450 meters
Inflow: Krishna
Location: Andhra Pradesh
Capacity (Acre Ft): 9,371,845
Krishnarajasagar Dam
Krishnarajasagar Dam is a masonry dam built on the banks of the Kaveri river in Mysore, Karnataka. This has close to it the birthplace and childhood hometown of the eponymous Hindu Lord Krishna, the Brindavans. It has a garden within which is popular in its own right as a garden park and tourist spot. It also is located in Mysore, one of the most beautiful spots of India featured often in media.
Sardar Sarovar Dam
The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam built on the Narmada river in Navagam near Kevadiya, Narmada District, Gujarat in India. Indian states Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan receive water and electricity supply from the dam.
Height: 163 m
Opened: 17 September 2017
Location: Navagam, Kevadia, Narmada District, Gujarat, India
Tungabhadra Dam
The Tungabhadra Dam also known as Pampa Sagar is constructed across the Tungabhadra River, a tributary of the Krishna River. The dam is in Hosapete, Vijayanagara district of Karnataka. It is a multipurpose dam serving irrigation, electricity generation, flood control, etc
Opened: 1953
Location: Hosapete, Vijayanagara district, Karnataka,, Koppal district, Karnataka, India
Total capacity: 101 tmcft at FRL 498 m msl
Installed capacity: 127MW
Inactive capacity: 2.3 tmcft (below 477.01 m msl)
Height: 49.50 m (162 ft) from the deepest foundation
Length: 2,449 m (8,035 ft)
Rihand Dam
Rihand Dam also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is the largest dam of India by volume. The reservoir of Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar is India’s largest artificial lake. Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam located at Pipri in Sonbhadra District in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Length: 934.45 m (3,066 ft)
Construction began: 1954
Total capacity: 10.6 billion cubic metres
Opening date: 1962
Installed capacity: 300 MW
Catchment area: 13,333.26 km2 (5,148 sq mi)
Koyna Dam
The Koyna Dam is one of the largest dams in Maharashtra, India. It is a rubble-concrete dam constructed on Koyna River which rises in Mahabaleshwar, a hillstation in Sahyadri ranges. It is located in Koyna Nagar, Satara district, in the Western Ghats on the state highway between Chiplun and Karad
Height: 103 m
Opened: 1964
Location: Koyna Nagar, Maharashtra; India
Total capacity: 2,797,400,000 m3 (2,267,900 acre⋅ft)
Installed capacity: 1,960 MW
Surface area: 891.78 km2 (344 sq mi)
Ukai Dam
The Ukai Dam, constructed across the Tapi River, is the second largest reservoir in Gujarat after the Sardar Sarovar. It is also known as Vallabh Sagar. Constructed in 1972, the dam is meant for irrigation, power generation and flood control
Height: 105 m
Opened: 1971
Total capacity: 7,414 MCM
Catchment area: 62,225 square kilometres (6.7×1011 sq ft)
Installed capacity: 300 MW
Status: Operational
GK Questions of Dams (FAQ – Biggest Dames)
Q: How many dams are in India?
Ans: India has 5,202 large dams. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), a large dam is one with height of at least 15m from its deepest foundation to the crest. This is not an exhaustive list as there are a number of small dams and barrages
Q: Which is India’s largest dam?
Ans: Tehri Dam Uttarakhand
Q: What are the 10 major dams in India?
Ans: Indira Sagar Dam, Madhya Pradesh.
Krishnarajasagar Dam, Karnataka.
Cheruthoni Dam, Kerala.
Mettur Dam, Tamil Nadu.
Bisalpur Dam, Rajasthan.
Maithon Dam, Jharkhand.
Koyna Dam, Maharashtra.
Rihand Dam, Uttar Pradesh.
Q: Which is the first dam in India?
Ans: Kallanai Dam
Q: Which dam is in Krishna river?
Ans: Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
Q: Which is the smallest dam in India?
Ans: Cheruthoni Dam
Q: Which is the world’s largest dam?
Ans: Currently, the tallest dam in the world is Nurek Dam on the Vakhsh River in Tajikistan. It is 984 feet (300 meters) tall. Hoover Dam is 726.4 feet (221.3 meters) tall
Q: Which state has highest dam in India?
Ans: MAHARASHTRA remains, BY FAR, the state with highest number of large dams in India as the latest edition of NRLD, with total of 2354 dams, including 2069 completed and 285 under construction Large Dams.
Q: What is masonry gravity dam?
Ans: A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it
Q: Which is the newest dam in India?
Ans: Dibang Dam is proposed and planned concrete gravity dam and will be India’s largest dam and the tallest concrete gravity dam in the world standing 288 metres in the Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Q: Which river has no dams in India?
Ans: Within the IWT, for seven decades India has not been able to construct the dam on Ravi River at Shahpur Kandi, with the result waters of this river has been flowing into Pakistan all these decades
Q: Which dam is Mahanadi?
Ans: Hirakud Dam
Q: Where do Godavari and Krishna meet?
Ans: Pavitra Sangam of Krishna & Godavari rivers at Vijayawada. This place located near Ibrahimpatnam by the side of river Krishna. After making a arrangement a stream of water of Godavari river flows through kennels and joins Krishna river at this place.