Major Dams in India : Complete List, Types & Important Facts
Gajendra Singh Godara
Oct 21, 2025
15
mins read
A dam is a structure built across a river or stream to block, store or divert water. Dams create water storage facilities, provide water on demand, and permit multipurpose water use. Dams in India are important for agriculture, energy and water resource management.
For instance, in Indian agriculture, the importance of dams is highlighted by the fact that nearly 91% of India’s stored water is dedicated to irrigation. Dams also provide renewable hydroelectric energy, flood control, and potable water. Nonetheless, floods, sedimentation and safety challenges accompanying these benefits require management for sustainable development.
The dams are classified both by their structural design/material and by their purpose.
Based on Structure & Materials:
Gravity dams: Massive concrete or masonry structures designed so their own weight resists the horizontal pressure of water
Arch dams: Curved, thin concrete dams that derive strength from a horizontal arch shape, transmitting water load to the valley sides.
Arch-gravity dams: Combine features of arch and gravity dams – curved in plan but also relying on some weight.
Embankment dams: Earthen or rock-fill dams that form large artificial mounds of earth/rock to impound water
Barrages (diversion dams): Low-head dams with gates to control flow and maintain upstream water levels for irrigation or diversion.
Based on Purpose:
Irrigation is one of the purposes of many dams in India. Bhakra, Nagarjunasagar and Sardar Sarovar offer water for drinking and also for agriculture.
Several dams like the Tehri, Koyna and Nathpa Jhakri have hydroelectric power generation. Tehri is the highest with 2,400 MW and Koyna is 1,960 MW. Koyna and Nathpa also have hydroelectric power generation.
There are large dams like the Hirakud and Sardar Sarovar which have water and flood control. They store water during monsoon and release water during dry spells to reduce flooding downstream.
Sardar Sarovar and Bhakra are examples of multipurpose dams that also provide irrigation.
This table presents a concise, state-wise and region-wise list of important dams in India, showing each dam’s river and its primary purpose
North / Himalayan States (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab)
Dam | State(s) | River | Purpose (primary) |
Bhakra–Nangal (Gobind Sagar)  | Himachal Pradesh / Punjab | Sutlej | Irrigation, Hydropower, Flood control, Water supply |
Nathpa Jhakri  | Himachal Pradesh | Sutlej | Hydropower (large hydro project) |
Chamera I  | Himachal Pradesh | Ravi | Hydropower, River regulation |
Tehri  | Uttarakhand | Bhagirathi river | Hydropower, Irrigation, Flood control, Municipal water supply |
Peninsular States (Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka)
Dam | State(s) | River | Purpose (primary) |
Idukki | Kerala | Periyar | Hydropower, Reservoir storage |
Nagarjuna Sagar | Telangana / Andhra Pradesh | Krishna | Irrigation, Hydropower, Water storage |
Srisailam | Telangana / Andhra Pradesh | Krishna | Hydropower, Irrigation, Flood moderation |
Koyna | Maharashtra | Krishna | Hydropower (major power complex), Reservoir regulation |
Jayakwadi (Paithan) | Maharashtra | Godavari | Irrigation, Water supply, Fisheries |
Mettur | Tamil Nadu | Cauvery | Irrigation, River regulation |
KRS (Krishna Raja Sagara) | Karnataka | Kaveri / Hemavati (reservoir source) | Irrigation, Drinking water, Canal supply |
Central / Western India (Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha)
Dam | State(s) | River | Purpose (primary) |
Sardar Sarovar | Gujarat / Madhya Pradesh | Narmada river | Multipurpose Irrigation, Hydropower, Drinking water |
Indira Sagar | Madhya Pradesh | Narmada river | Hydropower, Irrigation, Large storage |
Hirakud | Odisha | Mahanadi | Irrigation, Flood control, Power (long dam) |
Ukai | Gujarat | Tapi | Irrigation, Hydropower, Flood moderation |
Eastern & North-East (Odisha, Assam, Manipur, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh)
Dam | State(s) | River | Purpose (primary) |
Rengali | Odisha | Brahmani | Irrigation, Hydropower, Multipurpose |
Kulsi Barrage | Assam | Kulsi (tributary) | Irrigation diversion, Local water supply |
Loktak (Ithai Barrage) | Manipur | Manipur River system / Sekmai | Water regulation, Small hydropower, Fisheries, Wetland management |
Maithon | Jharkhand | Barakar (Damodar basin) | Hydropower, Flood control, Irrigation |
Hasdeo–Bango | Chhattisgarh | Hasdeo (Mahanadi tributary) | Irrigation, Hydropower, Regional storage |
Highest Dam in India: The Tehri Dam (Uttarakhand) is an earth-rockfill dam on the Bhagirathi. The Tehri Dam is the tallest dam in India. The height of the dam is 260.5m.
Longest Dam in India: The Hirakud Dam (Odisha) is the longest dam in India. It has a length of 25.79 km.
Largest Dams: In terms of scale and capacity:
Indira Sagar Dam (MP) has the largest reservoir in India, storing about 12.22 billion m³ of water.
Bhakra-Nangal Dam (HP/Punjab) is one of the largest concrete gravity dams (225–226 m tall, 518 m long) by structural volume.
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam (Telangana/AP) is the world’s largest masonry dam (124 m tall, 1.55 km long) with a huge reservoir.
Sardar Sarovar Dam (Gujarat/MP) is among the largest concrete dams (163 m tall, 1.21 km long) in India.
Oldest Dam in India: The Kallanai dam (Grand Anicut) is the oldest dam in India. The dam is built on the Cauvery River in Tamil Nadu. It was built around 150 CE by the Chola king Karikala. It is the oldest water diversion structure in India still in use.
First Dam in India after Independence: The Hirakud Dam was completed in 1957. This dam was among the first major multipurpose river-valley projects after independence.
Sedimentation from the river water can gradually fill the reservoirs, reducing their water storage capacity over time
A UN study warns that India’s ~3,700 large dams could lose about 26% of their storage by 2050 due to sediment accumulation. Hence sedimentation is a major challenge. The Gobind Sagar reservoir has lost approximately 25 percent of water capacity.
Sediment buildup also degrades water quality and can damage turbines, affecting power generation.
Dams disrupt river ecology and wildlife habitats, impacting fish migration, riverine forests, and downstream deltas.
Social impact: dam projects have displaced millions of people.
By 2000, an estimated 16.4 million Indians were displaced by dams, often facing inadequate or contested resettlement.
Aging infrastructure and safety concerns:
As of 2019, India had over 5,000 large dams, many decades old.
This increases the risk of dam failure due to issues like overtopping and seepage.
Inter-state water disputes complicate governance:
Major conflicts include those over the Narmada (Madhya Pradesh/Gujarat), Cauvery (Karnataka/Tamil Nadu), and Krishna (Andhra Pradesh/Karnataka) rivers, often requiring tribunals for resolution.
Climate change adds further uncertainty:
Dams designed based on past hydrological patterns may face challenges due to altered rainfall patterns and glacial melt, affecting their efficiency in flood control and water management.
National Register of Large Dams (CWC, 2019)
The Central Water Commission’s National Register of Large Dams (2019) identifies 5,334 large, operational dams in India. This central repository includes records of technical specifications, ownership, and performance metrics for planning, safety, and resource allocation.
Dam Safety Act (2021) | NDSA & committees
The 2021 Dam Safety Act fostered the establishment of the National Dam Safety Authority and Committees, which have the power to prescribe harmonised standards, inspection frequencies, and emergency action plans. It also legislated institutional periodic safety assessments.
Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP)
DRIP, sponsored by the World Bank, coordinates the on-ground rehabilitation efforts. Phase I (2012–2021) of the program improved 223 dams across 7 states. Phases II and III of the program will enhance the structures and management of 736 more dams.
State Dam Safety Organizations (SDSOs)
Every state has created State Dam Safety Organizations which apply national guidelines and perform inspections and oversight of maintenance at a local level. These organizations liaise with the NDSA, devise emergency response plans, and ensure adherence to engineering and environmental standards.
The dams are called multipurpose projects because they perform a list of functions. The main role that dams play is given below:
Supports Irrigation & agricultural transformation
By allowing regulated water discharges year-round, dams facilitate interchangeable irrigation, stabilize farm earnings, and turn rain-dependent regions into productive areas for year-round irrigation, supporting food security and rural livelihoods across the diverse agro-climatic collection of India.
Hydropower & energy balancing
Large dams are capable of hydroelectric power generation and supply dispatchable renewable energy, provide seasonal energy balancing and stabilization, and reduce fossil energy dependence. Also, these dams provide pumped-storage for monsoon energy balance for integration of variable renewables (solar and wind) into the energy system.
Controlling Floods & drought mitigation
With the storage of monsoon flows, reservoirs control downstream flood flows and protect lives and property. During dry periods, controlled releases and inter-basin transfers improve the agricultural and urban drought resilience of the industry and urban centres.
Sustainable water supply
By ensuring the supply of potable and industrial process water, dams support urbanisation, improvement of public health, and industrial development in water-stressed areas.
Fisheries, livelihoods & aquaculture
Reservoirs enhance the livelihoods of the adjoining populations and provide nutrition as well as income through the support of aquaculture and inland fisheries. Sustainable harvests and rural employment opportunities can be further enhanced through organized fishery initiatives and reservoir management.
Navigation, recreation & tourism
Navigation corridors, along with improved boating and tourism opportunities, are made possible by large reservoirs and regulated river stretches. Additionally, these bodies of water create recreational spaces that improve the local economy, stimulate infrastructure development, and provide varied non-agricultural employment opportunities in surrounding districts.
Strategic regional development & interlinking
Dams play an essential role in regional development by facilitating irrigation schemes, industrial developments, and the interlinking of rivers. Reservoirs that are optimally situated improve water security, and the geopolitical management of water resources allows for long-term basin planning for multipurpose uses and socio-economic viability.
Environmental trade-offs & ecosystem services
The changing of a river’s course and the loss of sediment and fish resources are adverse impacts of dam construction. Managed environmental flows, catchment area management, and losses accepted and designed for in the dam will mitigate harm in these areas while maximizing project benefits.
1. Strengthen Institutional Capacity & Governance
There is a need for adequate staffing & empowerment of State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs): Most of the Indian states already have SDSOs, but they require technical capacity, autonomy, and financial backing.
Some river basins cross state boundaries. The states must share authentic inspection data, alerts, and best practices that can boost overall safety.
2. Prioritize Risk-based Maintenance & Rehabilitation
By using modern sensing and monitoring tools like remote sensing, drones, IoT sensors for seepage, tilts, cracks we can supplement manual inspections.
We need to adopt dynamic reservoir operation for multi-objective management which factors in flood control, environmental flows and other such factors rather than static rule curves.
3. Secure Dedicated Funding & Financial Models
The dams need financial models. We need mandated earmarking of maintenance funds (as per Dam Safety Act) must translate into actual, recurring budget lines at state levels.
Explore public-private partnerships for dam maintenance, ensuring that private actors only participate under strict oversight but are able to boost the objective.
4. Expand & Integrate with Broader Water Systems
Dams cannot stand in isolation. We need to integrate them with rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, watershed development to reduce reliance.
Reevaluate new dam proposals in light of environmental and social trade-offs, especially under changing climate.
Maintain ecological flow releases to preserve downstream biodiversity, fish migration, and wetland health.
5. Disaster Preparedness & Community Safety
Every dam should have a robust Emergency Action Plan (EAP), with clear downstream zoning, early warning systems, evacuation routes, drills.
Engage local communities in monitoring and response: training, awareness, local risk committees.
Simulate failure scenarios and stress-test dam systems under extreme rainfall events (accounting for climate change).
6. Data, Digitization & Research
Create a centralized national dashboard/portal integrating inspection records, sensor data, repair status, hydrology.
Encourage academic-industry collaboration: data analytics, AI for anomaly detection and technological reforms.
7. Review & Rationalize Existing Dams
Some dams may be obsolete, underperforming, or environmentally damaging conduct a life-cycle audit to consider decommissioning or repurposing.
Dams have become part of India’s development strategy providing irrigation, hydropower, and water security on a large scale. While they have improved rural livelihoods and agriculture, dams have remained part of social, ecological and technical issues. These issues require a strongly balanced approach.
In particular, for UPSC aspirants, understanding dams in India is not simply a matter of recalling marquee projects, but also engaging with policy frameworks, interstate relations, and water sector ecology. A complete understanding of water resource management in India is gained by studying both achievements and the ensuing challenges in the sector.
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