Barakar River
Encyclopedia
The Barakar River is the main tributary of the Damodar River
in eastern India
. Originating near Padma
in Hazaribagh district
of Jharkhand
it flows for 225 kilometres (139.8 mi) across the northern part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau
, mostly in a west to east direction, before joining the Damodar near Dishergarh
in Bardhaman district
of West Bengal
. It has a catchment area of 6159 km² (2,378 sq mi). The main tributaries, Barsoti and Usri, flow in from the south and north respectively. Apart from the two main tributaries some fifteen medium/small streams join it.
The Barakar skirts the northern portion of Parasnath Hills
, (1350 m/4470 ft), the highest hill in the region, located in Giridih district
of Jharkhand and a centre of Jain pilgrimage.
. The great stone bridge across the river near Barhi, in Hazaribagh district, built around 1848, was washed away in 1913, after a fall of 10 inches (254 mm) of rain in 24 hours. The narrow iron bridge, which was built to replace it, withstood the strains of troop movement during the Second World War, but gave way in 1946, with another great flood. A new bridge built in the fifties has withstood the fury of the river.
There is another bridge on the Grand Trunk Road, across the Barakar, connecting Barakar
, a small town bearing the same name in Bardhaman district
of West Bengal
with Chirkunda in Jharkhand. With heavy traffic in the heart of the coal belt, the bridge built in the mid–19th century is in need of repairs. A new bridge has been built, to the north, on the bypass running from Kalipahari, before entering Asansol to Nirsa in Dhanbad district.
The huge volume of monsoon water was carried down the valley and used to create havoc with floods in the lower Damodar basin. Annual rainfall over the basin varies between 765 and 1607 mm (30.1 and 63.3 in) with an average of 1200 mm of which 80% occurs during the monsoon season from June to September. In order to harness the river (along with the Damodar), the Damodar Valley Corporation
planned and implemented independent India’s first multipurpose river valley project. The first dam of the project was constructed across the Barakar at Tilayia.
, was across the Barakar at Tilaiya
, in Hazaribagh district
of Bihar
, now in Koderma district
of Jharkhand
. It was inaugurated on 21 February 1953. The dam is 366 metres (1,200.8 ft) long and is 30.18 metres (99 ft) high from the river bed level. Tilaiya hydel power station is located on the left bank of the river Barakar. The structure is entirely of reinforced concrete. It has two generating units of 2 MW each with a provision for a third future unit of the same capacity.
in Dhanbad district
of Bihar, now Jharkhand. The river forms the boundary between West Bengal
and Jharkhand in that area. The dam was inaugurated on 27 September 1957. The dam (both concrete and earthen) is 4860 metres (15,944.9 ft) long and the concrete dam is 43.89 metres (144 ft) high above the river bed level. The unique feature of Maithon is that the hydel power station is located underground in the left bank of the river (on the West Bengal side) and is the first of its kind in India. The Power Station has a total generating capacity of 60 MW with three units of 20 MW
each. About 13 km downstream from Maithon, the Barakar joins the Damodar at Dishergarh
.
Maithon Dam is 48 km from Dhanbad
and around 25 km from Asansol
. Other towns such as Rupnarainpur, Chittaranjan
and Kulti
-Barakar
-Neamatpur
-Dishergarh
lie still nearer. It receives a steady and daily stream of tourists.
In order to augment the meagre hydroelectric power generation DVC has gone in for both gas turbine and thermal power generation. While most of its facilities for such generation lie in the Damodar region, Maithon in the Barakar regions is a major focal point. Maithon Gas Turbine Station was commissioned at Maithon in 1989. The station has an installed capacity of 82.5 MW with three units each of 27.5 MW capacity.
The 2 X 500 MW Maithon Right Bank thermal power station is under implementation. It is a joint venture of Tata Power and DVC. A 2 X 500 MW greenfield thermal power station has been proposed for Koderma.
to tackle the twin problems of reservoir siltation and soil deterioration in 1949.
Damodar River
Damodar River originates near Chandwa village, Palamau district, on the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Jharkhand state in eastern India, and flows eastward for about 592 km through the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the estaury of the River Hooghly...
in eastern 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...
. Originating near Padma
Padma, Hazaribagh
Padma is a community development block in Barhi subdivision of Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.-Geography:Padma is located at .The block is situated at north of Hazaribagh...
in Hazaribagh district
Hazaribagh District
Hazaribagh district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Hazaribagh town is the district headquarters. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.-Etymology:The district is named after its headquarters, the town of Hazaribagh...
of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
it flows for 225 kilometres (139.8 mi) across the northern part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau
Chota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Orissa, West Bengal, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the basin of the Mahanadi River lies to the south...
, mostly in a west to east direction, before joining the Damodar near Dishergarh
Dishergarh
Dishergarh is a town under the Kulti Police Station in Asansol subdivision of Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal. It is situated at the border of the Puruliya district and Bardhaman district in West Bengal. The Purulia - Barakar State Highway passes through Dishergarh...
in Bardhaman district
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. It has a catchment area of 6159 km² (2,378 sq mi). The main tributaries, Barsoti and Usri, flow in from the south and north respectively. Apart from the two main tributaries some fifteen medium/small streams join it.
The Barakar skirts the northern portion of Parasnath Hills
Parasnath Hills
Parasnath Station is on the Asansol-Gaya section of the Grand Chord and serves the town of Isri in Giridih district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. The Pareshnath Hill, located nearby, with a height of is the highest mountain in the state of Jharkhand. The word Parasnath comes from the 23rd...
, (1350 m/4470 ft), the highest hill in the region, located in Giridih district
Giridih District
Giridih district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Giridih is the administrative headquarters of this district. As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Jharkhand , after Ranchi and Dhanbad.-History:...
of Jharkhand and a centre of Jain pilgrimage.
Fury of the river
The river flows in all fury during the rains in its upper reaches and has washed away two bridges constructed successively on the Grand Trunk RoadGrand Trunk Road
The Grand Trunk Road also formerly known as Uttarapatha, Shah Rah-e-Azam or Sadak-e-Azam or Badshahi Sadak is one of South Asia's oldest and longest major roads...
. The great stone bridge across the river near Barhi, in Hazaribagh district, built around 1848, was washed away in 1913, after a fall of 10 inches (254 mm) of rain in 24 hours. The narrow iron bridge, which was built to replace it, withstood the strains of troop movement during the Second World War, but gave way in 1946, with another great flood. A new bridge built in the fifties has withstood the fury of the river.
There is another bridge on the Grand Trunk Road, across the Barakar, connecting Barakar
Barakar
Barakar is a town in Asansol subdivision of Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal. It is situated at the border of the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The Grand Trunk Road passes through Barakar. The town is located on the banks of Barakar River....
, a small town bearing the same name in Bardhaman district
Bardhaman District
'Bardhaman district is a district in West Bengal. The headquarter of the district is Bardhaman, though it houses other important industrial towns like Durgapur and Asansol...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
with Chirkunda in Jharkhand. With heavy traffic in the heart of the coal belt, the bridge built in the mid–19th century is in need of repairs. A new bridge has been built, to the north, on the bypass running from Kalipahari, before entering Asansol to Nirsa in Dhanbad district.
The huge volume of monsoon water was carried down the valley and used to create havoc with floods in the lower Damodar basin. Annual rainfall over the basin varies between 765 and 1607 mm (30.1 and 63.3 in) with an average of 1200 mm of which 80% occurs during the monsoon season from June to September. In order to harness the river (along with the Damodar), the Damodar Valley Corporation
Damodar Valley Corporation
The Damodar Valley Corporation, popularly known as DVC, is the first multipurpose river valley project of independent India. The corporation came into being on July 7, 1948 by an Act of the Constituent Assembly of India . It is modelled on the Tennessee Valley Authority of the USA. Jawaharlal...
planned and implemented independent India’s first multipurpose river valley project. The first dam of the project was constructed across the Barakar at Tilayia.
Tilayia
DVC’s first dam, Tilaiya DamTilaiya Dam
Tilaiya dam was the first of the four multi-purpose dams included in the first phase of the Damodar Valley Corporation. It was constructed across the Barakar River, at Tilaiya in Koderma district in the Indian state of Jharkhand and opened in 1953....
, was across the Barakar at Tilaiya
Tilaiya
Tilaiya is a town in Koderma district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.-Geography:Tilaiya is located at .-Tilaiya Dam:...
, in Hazaribagh district
Hazaribagh District
Hazaribagh district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Hazaribagh town is the district headquarters. It is currently a part of the Red Corridor.-Etymology:The district is named after its headquarters, the town of Hazaribagh...
of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, now in Koderma district
Koderma District
Koderma district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Koderma is the administrative headquarters of this district.Koderma district was created on 10 April 1994, after being carved out of the original Hazaribagh district...
of Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
. It was inaugurated on 21 February 1953. The dam is 366 metres (1,200.8 ft) long and is 30.18 metres (99 ft) high from the river bed level. Tilaiya hydel power station is located on the left bank of the river Barakar. The structure is entirely of reinforced concrete. It has two generating units of 2 MW each with a provision for a third future unit of the same capacity.
Maithon
DVC’s second dam was across the Konar River, a tributary of the Damodar, in Hazaribagh district, and the third was across the Barakar at MaithonMaithon
Maithon is a census town in Dhanbad district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is situated on the banks of river Barakar.The name has been derived from Maithan or Mai-Ka-Than or Ma-Er-Than, the "than" being a apa-bhransha or a local pronunciation of Sanskrit/Bangla "Sthan" for "place"...
in Dhanbad district
Dhanbad District
Dhanbad district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state, India, and Dhanbad is the administrative headquarters of this district...
of Bihar, now Jharkhand. The river forms the boundary between West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and Jharkhand in that area. The dam was inaugurated on 27 September 1957. The dam (both concrete and earthen) is 4860 metres (15,944.9 ft) long and the concrete dam is 43.89 metres (144 ft) high above the river bed level. The unique feature of Maithon is that the hydel power station is located underground in the left bank of the river (on the West Bengal side) and is the first of its kind in India. The Power Station has a total generating capacity of 60 MW with three units of 20 MW
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
each. About 13 km downstream from Maithon, the Barakar joins the Damodar at Dishergarh
Dishergarh
Dishergarh is a town under the Kulti Police Station in Asansol subdivision of Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal. It is situated at the border of the Puruliya district and Bardhaman district in West Bengal. The Purulia - Barakar State Highway passes through Dishergarh...
.
Maithon Dam is 48 km from Dhanbad
Dhanbad
Dhanbad features climate that is transitional between a humid subtropical climate and a tropical wet and dry climate. Summer starts from last week of March and ends in mid-June. Peak temperature in summer can reach 47oC. Dhanbad also receives heavy rainfall...
and around 25 km from Asansol
Asansol
Asansol is a coal mining and industrial metropolis and one of the busiest commercial centres in India. It is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata and the 19th largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is located in the western part of the Burdwan...
. Other towns such as Rupnarainpur, Chittaranjan
Chittaranjan
Chittaranjan is a census town in Asansol subdivision of Burdwan District in the state of West Bengal, India. This is famous for Chittaranjan Locomotive Works, a Indian Government railway factory.-Geography:...
and Kulti
Kulti
Kulti is a city and a municipality in Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Geography:Kulti is located at latitude 23°43'60N and longitude 86°50'60E at an elevation of 114 meters. The Asansol-Durgapur region is composed of undulating latterite soil. This area lies between two...
-Barakar
Barakar
Barakar is a town in Asansol subdivision of Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal. It is situated at the border of the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The Grand Trunk Road passes through Barakar. The town is located on the banks of Barakar River....
-Neamatpur
Neamatpur
Neamatpur is a town in Asansol subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is around from Barakar and around from Asansol . It is under the Kulti Police Station and under the Kulti Municipality.-Geography:...
-Dishergarh
Dishergarh
Dishergarh is a town under the Kulti Police Station in Asansol subdivision of Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal. It is situated at the border of the Puruliya district and Bardhaman district in West Bengal. The Purulia - Barakar State Highway passes through Dishergarh...
lie still nearer. It receives a steady and daily stream of tourists.
In order to augment the meagre hydroelectric power generation DVC has gone in for both gas turbine and thermal power generation. While most of its facilities for such generation lie in the Damodar region, Maithon in the Barakar regions is a major focal point. Maithon Gas Turbine Station was commissioned at Maithon in 1989. The station has an installed capacity of 82.5 MW with three units each of 27.5 MW capacity.
The 2 X 500 MW Maithon Right Bank thermal power station is under implementation. It is a joint venture of Tata Power and DVC. A 2 X 500 MW greenfield thermal power station has been proposed for Koderma.
Proposed dam at Balpahari
DVC is working on the proposal for a third dam across the Barakar at Balpahari in Jharkhand. Planned as part of its network of dams and barrages in the valley region, the Balpahari project was conceived with the objective of reducing siltation problems at Maithon, increasing the reach of canal irrigation and adding to hydro-electric generation capacity by 20 MW from the existing 144 MW.Soil conservation
After the construction of the four dams at Tilayia, Konar, Maithon and Panchet by DVC, it was observed that the rate of silt inflow into the reservoirs were much higher than what was anticipated earlier. It threatened the longevity of the reservoirs. The catchment area of these reservoirs spread over the undulating terrain of the Chota Nagpur plateau is seriously affected by soil erosion. Large volume of silt in the form of coarse and fine sediment is removed from the area by erosion under the impact of the water flow caused by torrential rain, which runs down the numerous stream channels during the monsoon. Thus the problem of reservoir siltation assumed great importance in the case of DVC. In order to prolong the life of the reservoirs, there was need for soil conservation and silt control. DVC set up a Soil Conservation Department at HazaribaghHazaribagh
Hazaribagh is a city and a municipality in Hazaribagh district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is the divisional headquarters of North Chotanagpur division. It is famous as a health resort and for Hazaribagh National Park ....
to tackle the twin problems of reservoir siltation and soil deterioration in 1949.