Pong Dam
Encyclopedia
The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, is an earth-fill embankment dam
on the Beas River
just upstream of Talwara
in the state of Himachal Pradesh
, India. The purpose of the dam is water storage for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. As the second phase of the Beas Project, construction on the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1974. At the time of its completion, the Pong Dam was the tallest of its type in India. The lake created by the dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar
, became a renowned bird sanctuary.
and its tributaries were ordered by the Punjab Government in 1927. Interest in the dam declined after the report deemed the project difficult because of flood waters. In 1955, geological and hydrological studies were carried out on the Pong site and an embankment design was recommended. In 1959, extensive studies were carried out and recommended an embankment dam with a gravity section. A final design was issued and construction began in 1961 on the dam which was the second-phase of the Beas Project, the Pandoh Dam
140 km (87 mi) upstream being the first. It was completed in 1974 and the power station was later commissioned between 1978 and 1983. About 150,000 people were displaced by the dam's large reservoir under a poorly planned and executed relocation program.
is located on its southern bank and is a chute-type controlled by six radial gates. Its maximum discharge capacity is 12375 m3/s. The reservoir created by the dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar
, has a gross capacity of 8570000000 cubic metre of which 7290000000 cubic metre is active (live) capacity. The reservoir has a normal elevation of 426.72 m (1,400 ft) and catchment area
of 12560 square kilometre. The reservoir reaches from the dam to 41.8 km (26 mi) upstream in length and covers a surface of 260 square kilometre. Located at the base of the dam is its power house. It is supplied with water via three penstock
s which each meet a 60 MW Francis turbine
-generator located inside. The dam's elevation to the power house provides a maximum of 95.1 m (312 ft) in hydraulic head
.
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 Beas River
Beas River
The Beas River is a river in the northern part of India. The river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for some 470 km to the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab....
just upstream of Talwara
Talwara
Talwara is a census town in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state of Punjab.-Geography:Talwara is located at . It has an average elevation of 326 metres .-Demographics:...
in the state of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, India. The purpose of the dam is water storage for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. As the second phase of the Beas Project, construction on the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1974. At the time of its completion, the Pong Dam was the tallest of its type in India. The lake created by the dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar
Maharana Pratap Sagar
Maharana Pratap Sagar , also known as Pong Dam Reservoir or Pong Dam Lake was created in 1975 building the highest earthfill dam in India on the Beas River in the wetland zone of the Siwalik Hills of the Kangra district of the state of Himachal Pradesh, in India.Named in the honour of the patriot...
, became a renowned bird sanctuary.
Background
The idea for a dam on the Beas at the Pong site was first proposed in 1926 and subsequent surveys of the Indus RiverIndus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
and its tributaries were ordered by the Punjab Government in 1927. Interest in the dam declined after the report deemed the project difficult because of flood waters. In 1955, geological and hydrological studies were carried out on the Pong site and an embankment design was recommended. In 1959, extensive studies were carried out and recommended an embankment dam with a gravity section. A final design was issued and construction began in 1961 on the dam which was the second-phase of the Beas Project, the Pandoh Dam
Pandoh Dam
The Pandoh Dam is an embankment dam on the Beas River in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Under the Beas Project, the dam was completed in 1977 and its primary purpose is hydroelectric power generation. Part of a run-of-the-river power scheme, it diverts the waters of the Beas to the...
140 km (87 mi) upstream being the first. It was completed in 1974 and the power station was later commissioned between 1978 and 1983. About 150,000 people were displaced by the dam's large reservoir under a poorly planned and executed relocation program.
Design
The Pong Dam is a 133 m (436 ft) tall and 1951 m (6,401 ft) long earth-fill embankment dam with a gravel shell. It is 13.72 m (45 ft) wide at its crest and 610 m (2,001 ft) wide at its base. The total volume of the dam is 35500000 m³ (46,432,247 cu yd) and it its crest sits at an elevation of 435.86 m (1,430 ft) above sea level. The dam's spillwaySpillway
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 located on its southern bank and is a chute-type controlled by six radial gates. Its maximum discharge capacity is 12375 m3/s. The reservoir created by the dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar
Maharana Pratap Sagar
Maharana Pratap Sagar , also known as Pong Dam Reservoir or Pong Dam Lake was created in 1975 building the highest earthfill dam in India on the Beas River in the wetland zone of the Siwalik Hills of the Kangra district of the state of Himachal Pradesh, in India.Named in the honour of the patriot...
, has a gross capacity of 8570000000 cubic metre of which 7290000000 cubic metre is active (live) capacity. The reservoir has a normal elevation of 426.72 m (1,400 ft) and 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 12560 square kilometre. The reservoir reaches from the dam to 41.8 km (26 mi) upstream in length and covers a surface of 260 square kilometre. Located at the base of the dam is its power house. It is supplied with water via three penstock
Penstock
A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydraulic turbines and sewerage systems. It is a term that has been inherited from the technology of wooden watermills....
s which each meet a 60 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....
-generator located inside. The dam's elevation to the power house provides a maximum of 95.1 m (312 ft) in 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...
.