Bhima
Bhima is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. 3 dams stand on this watercourse and its tributaries and are written up below. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Dams Recorded
- 3
- Coordinates
- 17.71°, 75.45°
About Bhima
The Bhima River (Marathi: Bhīmā Nadī, pronounced [bʱiːmɑː], also known as Chandrabhāga River) is a major river in Western and South India. It flows southeast for 861 kilometres (535 mi) through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana states, before joining the Krishna River. After the first 65 kilometers in a narrow valley through rugged terrain, the banks open up and form a fertile agricultural area which is densely populated.
The river is prone to drying up during the summer season. In 2005, it caused severe flooding in Solapur, Vijayapura and Kalburgi districts. The river is also referred to as Chandrabhaga River, especially at Pandharpur, as it resembles the shape of the Moon.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Bhima River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Bhima in Depth
Course
The Bhima River flows southeast for a long journey of 861 kilometres (535 mi), with many smaller rivers as tributaries. It originates near Bhimashankar Temple in the Bhimashankar hills in khed Taluka on the western side of the Western Ghats, known as Sahyadri, in Pune District, Maharashtra state, at 19°04′03″N 073°33′00″E. It flows through Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary where it enters Khed Taluka and is soon joined by its tributary, the Aria River from the right (west) which flows into the Chas Kaman Reservoir. Upstream on the Aria is the Rajgurunagar-Kalmodi Dam impounding the Kalmodi Reservoir. The Chas Kaman Reservoir is impounded by the Chas Kaman Dam, the most upstream dam on the Bhima River proper. The village of Chas is on the left bank some 16 km below the dam.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Bhima River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Bhima: Key Facts
| Length | 861 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 70,614 km² |
| Source | Bhimashankar Temple |
| Mouth | Krishna River |
| Tributaries | Indrayani River, Mula-Mutha River |
Facts from Wikidata Q854999 (CC0).
Dams on the Bhima
3 dams on the Bhima and the tributaries that feed it, ordered by structural height, with their reservoirs and generating capacity.
| Dam | River | Height | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ujjani Dam | Bhima | 56 m | 12 MW | 1980 |
| Mulshi Dam | Mula | 48.8 m | 300 MW | 1927 |
| Khadakwasla Dam | Mutha | 32.9 m | — | 1879 |
Ujjani Dam
Concrete Gravity dam · Maharashtra, India
Ujjani Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Bhima in Maharashtra, India, standing 56 m (184 ft) high and completed in 1980. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 12 MW. The structure impounds Bhima Reservoir.
Ujani Dam, also known as Bhima Dam or Bhima Irrigation Project, on the Bhima River, a tributary of the Krishna River, is an earthfill cum Masonry gravity dam located near Ujjani village of Madha Taluk in Solapur district of the state of Maharashtra in India.
The Bhima River, which originates in Bhimashankar of the Western Ghats, and forms the Bhima Valley with its tributary rivers and streams, has twenty-two dams built on it of which the Ujjani Dam is the terminal dam on the river and is the largest in the valley that intercepts a catchment area of 14,858 km2 (5,737 sq mi) (which includes a free catchment of 9,766 km2 (3,771 sq mi)). The construction of the dam project including the canal system on both banks was started in 1969 at an initial estimated cost of Rs 400 million and when completed in June 1980 the cost incurred was of the order of Rs 3295.85 million.
The reservoir created by the 56.4 m (185 ft) high earth cum concrete gravity dam on the Bhima River has a gross storage capacity of 3.320 km3 (0.797 cu mi). The annual utilization is 2.410 km3 (0.578 cu mi).
Adapted from Wikipedia: Ujjani Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Concrete Gravity
- Structural height
- 56 m (184 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 12 MW
- Impounded river
- Bhima
- Reservoir
- Bhima Reservoir
- Location
- Maharashtra, India
- Year completed
- 1980
- Height rank
- #79 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #98 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 18.0772°, 75.1206°
Notable: Major water source for Solapur and Pune rural belt; famous flamingo habitat.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Ujjani Dam ranks #79 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #98, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Sholapur (94 km), Ahmednagar (121 km), Pune (144 km).
More about Ujjani Dam
Geography
The Bhima River on which the Ujjani Dam has been built rises from Bhimashankar hills in the Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri hill range. The river flows for a length of 725 km (450 mi) till it meets the Krishna River (one of the two major river systems in Maharashtra, the other being the Godavari River) near Raichur in Raichur district in Karnataka. Bhima River Basin has many tributaries of which the major ones are the Kundali River, Kumandala River, Ghod river, Bhama River, Indrayani River, Mula River, Mutha River, Pavna River, Bori, Sina, Man, Bhogwati and Nira.
Hydrology
Based on rainfall data and other characteristics of the basin, the average annual yield of the Upper Bhima River basin has been assessed as 7.373 km3 (1.769 cu mi). Since the Bhima River which is a major tributary of the Krishna River is an interstate river, the flows are shared by the Upper riparian state of Maharashtra with the lower riparian Karnataka state. The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal, in its award in the year 1976 permitted Maharashtra to use only 4.753 km3 (1.140 cu mi) from the Upper Bhima River Basin. The Bhima or Ujjani dam has a planned annual utilization of 1.878 km3 (0.451 cu mi) (including evaporation losses).
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ujjani Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Mulshi Dam
Masonry Gravity dam · Maharashtra, India
Mulshi Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Mula, in the Bhima basin, in Maharashtra, India, standing 48.8 m (160 ft) high and completed in 1927. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 300 MW. The structure impounds Mulshi Lake.
Mulshi is the name of a major dam on the Mula River in India. It is located in the Mulshi taluka administrative division of the Pune district of Maharashtra State.
Water from the dam is used for irrigation as well as for generating electricity at the Bhira hydroelectric power plant, operated by Tata Power. The station operates six 25MW Pelton turbines installed in 1927 and one 150MW Pumped Storage Unit. Water from this reservoir located in the Krishna River basin is diverted to the Bhira power house for generating Hydro electricity.
During the construction of the dam and power station, Vinayak Bhuskute and Pandurang Mahadev Bapat led Mulshi Satyagrah, a movement (April1921 to December1924) to represent farmers whose land had been taken to build the project. Pandurang Mahadev Bapat was dubbed Senapati (commander) in recognition of his leadership.
Although, a century has passed since the completion of the Dam, many of the demands of the aggrieved farmers are not full filled yet.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Mulshi Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Masonry Gravity
- Structural height
- 48.8 m (160 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 300 MW
- Impounded river
- Mula
- River basin
- Bhima
- Reservoir
- Mulshi Lake
- Location
- Maharashtra, India
- Year completed
- 1927
- Height rank
- #90 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #72 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 18.5167°, 73.5167°
Notable: Historic 1927 Tata Power hydro project; site of the famous Mulshi Satyagraha led by Senapati Bapat.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Mulshi Dam ranks #90 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #72, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Pune (35 km), Mumbai (89 km), Kalyan (90 km).
More about Mulshi Dam
Tourism
In recent years Mulshi and adjoining areas have been developed as a tourist destination, adding accommodation for leisure guests. The place is around 2 hours drive from Pune and is a major attraction over the weekends. The best time of the year to visit Mulshi is from August to October.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Mulshi Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Khadakwasla Dam
Masonry Gravity dam · Maharashtra, India
Khadakwasla Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Mutha, in the Bhima basin, in Maharashtra, India, standing 32.9 m (108 ft) high and completed in 1879. The structure impounds Khadakwasla Lake.
Khadakwasla Dam is a dam on the Mutha River 21 km (13 mi) from the centre of the city of Pune in Maharashtra, India. The dam created a reservoir known as Khadakwasla Lake which is the main source of water for Pune and its suburbs.
In the vicinity of Khadakwasla Dam is the National Defence Academy (NDA), the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), the College of Military Engineering, Pune (CME, Dapodi) and Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS). A few kilometres to the south lies Sinhagad Fort; the twin dams of Panshet and Varasgaon, which mainly supply water for irrigation but also feed into Khadakwasla Lake, lie just 8 km (5.0 mi) due west of the backwaters of Khadakwasla Lake.
Khadakwasla Dam burst at 7:30 am on 12 July 1961, causing the greatest ever disaster to strike Pune. It was not blown up, as some have been led to believe, it simply collapsed at the point of greatest impulsive force, unable to withstand the destructive forces generated by three times the quantity of water gushing in from upstream than it was meant to store at peak capacity as placid water.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Khadakwasla Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Masonry Gravity
- Structural height
- 32.9 m (108 ft)
- Impounded river
- Mutha
- River basin
- Bhima
- Reservoir
- Khadakwasla Lake
- Location
- Maharashtra, India
- Year completed
- 1879
- Height rank
- #108 of 115 indexed
- Coordinates
- 18.4417°, 73.7667°
Notable: Historic 1879 masonry dam engineered by Fife; main water reservoir for Pune and the NDA.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Khadakwasla Dam ranks #108 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m).
Nearest cities: Pune (13 km), Kalyan (110 km), Mumbai (115 km).
More about Khadakwasla Dam
History
The birth of Khadakwasla lake took place due to the severe droughts during the 19th century in East Pune that paralysed crop growth and prompted engineers to take up major irrigation works. Captain Fife RE of the British Army recommended a high level reservoir at Khadakwasla in 1863 and subsequently carried out detailed surveys and investigations. This man-made lake was therefore named after him, Lake Fife. It was renamed Khadakwasla Lake shortly after independence. The work on one of the oldest masonry dams of India began in 1869 and was completed in 1879 at the cost of Rs. 65 lakhs (INR 6.5 million, then the equivalent of US$2 million and GB£600,000).
Design
The Khadakwasla Dam is 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long. The dam has been built on the Mutha River, which begins from the confluence of the rivers Ambi and Mose on which the Panshet and Varasgaon Dams are built respectively, and the outflow from Temghar Lake through Temghar Dam about 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Varasgaon Dam into Khadakwasla Lake. The length of the Khadakwasla backwaters is nearly 22 km (14 mi) and the width varies from 250 to 1,000 m (820 to 3,280 ft). The maximum depth in the lake is 36 m (118 ft). The dam has 11 radial type sluice gates and six irrigation outlets, flowing into two canals as explained below. Of the three feeder lakes, Varasgaon is the largest, followed by Panshet and Temgarh, in that order.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Khadakwasla Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Bhima: Quick Answers
- Where is Bhima?
- Bhima is located in India, at 17.7106° N, 75.4481° E.
- Are there dams on the Bhima?
- Yes. YearMaps records 3 dams on the Bhima and its tributaries: Ujjani Dam, Mulshi Dam (on the Mula), Khadakwasla Dam (on the Mutha).
- What is the tallest dam on the Bhima?
- Ujjani Dam is the tallest dam recorded on the Bhima, at 56 m (184 ft), completed in 1980.
- Which dam on the Bhima generates the most electricity?
- Mulshi Dam has the largest installed hydroelectric capacity on the Bhima system: 300 MW. Installed capacity is the maximum rated output, not the annual average.