Multipurpose project is the scientific management of water resources in the country. A multipurpose project is a massive project which serves a variety of purposes like- flood control, fish breeding, irrigation, generation of electricity, soil conservation, etc. whereas, the hydropower projects are those related to providing only electricity mainly.
Objectives or Advantages of Multipurpose Project:
- Generation of Power
- Flood Control
- Soil Conservation
- Irrigation
- Afforestation
- Water Navigation
- Fisheries
- Tourist Centres
Disadvantages of Multi-purpose Projects:
- Fertile agricultural land submerged under the river water.
- Forest land are either cleared or submerged under water. It is great loss for environment.
- Large no. of people are displaced. They have to leave their own houses and properties.
- Siltation in the dam reduces the lifespan of the project.
- Big Multipurpose projects can result into minor earthquakes.
| Multi-Purpose Projects | River | Place |
| Salal Project | Chenab | J&K |
| Dulhasti Project | Chenab | J&K |
| Nathpa Jhakri Project | Sutlej | HP |
| Bhakhra Nangal | SutlejReservoir → Govind Sagar | HP → Serves Punjab & Haryana |
| Tehri Dam Project | Bhagirathi & Bhilangana | Uttarakhand |
| Kosi Dam Project | Kosi | Nepal → Serves India & Nepal |
| Damodar Valley | Damodar | West Bengal, Bihar & Jharkhand |
| Farakka Project | Bhagirathi-Hoogly | WB |
| Mayurakshi Project | Mayurakshi → tributary of Hughli rises from CNP | WB |
| Tilaiya Project | Barakar → Part of Damodar valley project | Jharkhand |
| Chambal Project | Chambal – Dams: Gandhi Sagar (MP), Rana Pratap Sagar (Rawatbhata, Kota) & Jawahar Sagar (Kota) | Rajasthan → Serves MP & Rajasthan |
| Mahi Project | Mahi (also known as Jamnalal Bajaj Sagar project) | Banswara, Rajasthan |
| Rihand (Goving Ballabh Pant Sagar) | Rihand River → tributary of Son River Reservoir → Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar | Pipri, Uttar Pradesh |
| Rajghat Dam Project | Betwa river | JV b/w MP & UP Gov. |
| Tawa Project | Tawa → a tributary of Narmada | MP |
| Ukai Project | Tapi | Gujrat |
| Kakrapara Project | Tapi | Gujrat |
| Hirakud Dam Project | Mahanadi | Orissa |
| Machkund Project | Machkund River – a tributary of Godavari river | Orissa & Andhra Pradesh |
| Poochampad Project | Godavari (also known as Sri Rama Sagar Project) | lifeline of Telangana |
| Polavaram Project | Godavari | AP |
| Nagarjuna Sagar Project | Krishna | Andhra Pradesh &Telangana |
| Koyna Project | Koyna, a tributary of the Krishna River | Maharashtra |
| Srisailam | Krishna | Andhra Pradesh |
| Tungabhadra Project | Tungabhadra River – a tributary of the Krishna River | Karnataka – Serves AP & Karnataka |
| Sharavati Project | Sharavati – westward flowing river | Karnataka |
| Krishna Raja Sagar Project | Kaveri | Karnataka |
| Shivasamundram Project | Kaveri (Electricity to Kolar goldmines) | Karnataka |
| Mettur Project | Kaveri | TN |
| Idukki Project | Periyar & Cheruthony | Kerala |
| Umiam Project | Umiam | Shillong (Meghalaya) |
Damodar Valley Project
- 1st multipurpose river valley project of independent India based on Tennessy project of USA
- Consist of following sub projects viz.
- Maithon Dam
- Panchet Dam
- Tilaiya Dam
- Kangsabati Dam
- Konar Dam
Beas Project
- A joint venture of the gov. of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
- It consists of two units: (i) Beas-Sutlej Link and (ii) Beas Dam at Pong.
- Beas-Sutlej Link → for diverting some water of river Beas into Satluj through two tunnels and an open channel to generate power and to increase the storage capacity of Bhakra reservoir (Gobindsagar)
- The Pong Dam, also known as the Beas Dam, on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh, India.
Rajasthan (Indira Gandhi) Canal Project
- Starts from the Harike Barrage at Sultanpur, a few kilometers below the confluence of the Sutlej and Beas rivers in Punjab state.
- An irrigation project to provide irrigation to semi-arid and arid areas of Rajasthan.
Narmada Valley Project
- Also known as Indirasagar Dam multipurpose project
- Downstream projects are Omkareshwar, Maheshwar and Sardar Sarovar Project
River Interlinking Program India
The National Water Development Agency has already identified 14 links under the Himalayan Component and 16 under the one for Peninsular Rivers with priority to top 5 projects viz. Interlinking of Rivers are
- Ken-Betwa
- Parbati – Kalisindh – Chambal
- Damanganga – Pinjal
- Par – Tapi – Narmada
- Godavari (Polavaram) – Krishna (Vijayawada)
The Himalayan Interlinking Rivers – 14
The Peninsular Interlinking Rivers – 16
Objectives of River Interlinking Project
- To diminish water scarcity in western and peninsular India
- To help in irrigation and storage as a large part of Indian agriculture is rainfall dependent.
- To mitigate droughts and floods
- To reduce diversity between the water surplus and water scarce parts of India
- Will create employment.
- Will help in socio – economic development of people.
Multipurpose Projects in India
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Multipurpose Projects in
