Multi purpose river projects and Integrated water resources Management Std X CBSE As per NCERT geography textbook Contemporary India II Dam – it!

Villagers downstream celebrated and set off fireworks October 1963 Dakotas of the Indian Air Force dipped their wings overhead. Pundit Nehru flicked on the switch of the powerhouse and opened the sluice gates of the dam. In his speech dedicating the dam to the nation, he called dams as the ‘Temple of modern India’

Bhakra Dam Which project are we talking about?

Was this the first water regulating structure to be built in India? Photo by Claire Arni and Oriole Henri The Grand Anicut was built during the Chola Dynasty in the 1st / 2nd century A.D. to harness the waters of the river Cauvery. Made of stone, it is as long as 3 football fields It is the oldest water regulating structure and is still very much in use.

A dam is a barrier across flowing water It obstructs, directs, or retards the flow of water. It usually creates a reservoir Surplus water flows out over spillways Sluice / Radial Gates control the flow of water downstream (most gates today are radial gates) Power House Long Distance Power Lines Generator Intake Gate Spillways River Reservoir Turbine

Based on size – Large dams (>15 meters) Major dams (over 150 meters in height) Sometimes also classified as low, medium and high. Based on structure and material used – Timber dams, Arch gravity dams, Embankment dams or Masonry dams, with several sub types. Based on purpose - Saddle dam, Dry dam, Diversion dam Classification of Dams Why do you think dams are broader at the bottom than at the top?

Multi-purpose river projects Earlier water regulating structures impounded water for irrigation Today, as the name suggests – they are

Tehri Power Irrigation Domestic Water Supply Flood Control 1204 MW 1181MW MW 1920 MW Kutch,Saurashtra 10 million acres in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan 270 million gallons of drinking water per day to the industrialized areas of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand controls flooding of the lower delta region by the Mahanadi river

Tehri Inland Navigation Recreation Fish Breeding diverts water from the Ganga into the Hoogly during the dry season to flush out accumulated silt and allow navigation through the Hoogly into the port of Kolkata water-skiing, sailing, kayaking, speed boating and water scooter racing fifty one species and sub species of fish. Also a water fowl refuge

Temples of modern India industries hydropower for electricity livelihood + fishing irrigation water supply Inland Navigation Flood Control They were seen as vehicles of development and growth of the Indian economy and hence worthy of worship

Temples of modern India? Evaporation, Green House Gas emission Displacement of local tribes Destruction of historical and archaeological sites Loss of natural biodiversity Loss of Livelihood

Fragmentation of river ecosystems and Impacts biodiversity Barrier for movement of migratory fish like the salmon, thereby affecting its population Reduction in natural biodiversity along riverbanks due to reduced natural flooding Alters water temperature downstream, affecting plant and animal life in the reservoir and the river Temples of modern India?

Reservoir Sedimentation Sediments that naturally flow in a river are blocked Reservoir storage capacity reduces Power generation and water availability reduces Downstream erosion Lesser sediments reach downstream Water flow eats into riverbed and shore (erosion) affects biodiversity in and along the river and increases coastal erosion

Temples of modern India? Cropping patterns changed to more water intensive crops – affects soil quality Inter-state water disputes Maharastra vs. Karnataka and AP Karnataka vs. TN Between farmers and urban areas Sabarmati basin Cauvery basin Water disputes Other social and ecological impacts: But are water disputes caused by a mismatch in demand and supply? Do dams actually ease disputes by providing water during lean periods? Debate this in class.

the disputes. Let’s play a game

Divide the class into 5 teams Draw as many dashes as in the name of a dam / reservoir / barrage. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Team A starts. They guess a letter. The teacher puts in the letter at the correct place, if it is there in the name of the dam. Else, the letter is written down on one side. A maximum of 10 wrong guesses are allowed. The team gets as many points as letters on the side (maximum of 10). The team with the lowest number of points wins Hangman

Source: Maps of India Point the correct position of the dam/ reservoir / barrage on the map and get 2 points reduced from your points tally

Role play Activity 1 A bench of 5 Supreme Court Judges A person who will lose his home and lands by construction of a dam A passionate environmentalist A farmer downstream, plagued by seasonal floods and drought An industrialist A politician from a nearby urban constituency Assign the following roles to students

Activity 1 Select a river in your state Let each party put forward their views on the construction of a multi-purpose river project that will directly affect them Let each party also put forth solutions for opposing factions The judges can take a decision on the project depending on the case put forth Role Play

Activity 2 Divide the class into 2 teams Discuss the pros and cons of the dam built at Tehri or Koyna (let the students research the facts before the classroom discussion) Discussion