Godavari
Godavari is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. 3 dams stand on this watercourse 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
- 18.83°, 77.94°
About Godavari
The Godavari (IAST: Godāvarī, IPA: [ɡoːd̪ɑːʋɐɾiː]) is India's second longest river after the Ganges River, and drains the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of the total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakeshwar, Nashik, Maharashtra. It flows east for 1,465 kilometres (910 mi), draining the states of Maharashtra (48.6%), Telangana (18.8%), Andhra Pradesh (4.5%), Chhattisgarh (10.9%), and Odisha (5.7%). The river ultimately empties into the Bay of Bengal through an extensive network of distributaries. Its 312,812 km2 (120,777 sq mi) drainage basin is one of the largest in the Indian subcontinent, with only the Ganga and Indus rivers having a larger drainage basin. In terms of length, catchment area and discharge, the Godavari is the largest in peninsular India, and had been dubbed as the Dakshina Ganga (Southern Ganges).
In the past few decades, the river has been barricaded by several barrages and dams, keeping a head of water (depth) which lowers evaporation.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Godavari River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Godavari in Depth
Course
The Godavari originates in the Western Ghats of central India, near Nashik in Maharashtra, 80 km (50 mi) from the Arabian Sea. It flows for 1,465 km (910 mi), first eastwards across the Deccan Plateau, then turns southeast, entering the Eluru district and Alluri Sitharama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh, until it splits into two distributaries that widen into a large river delta at Dhavaleshwaram Barrage, in Rajamahendravaram, and then flows into the Bay of Bengal.
These put together account for 24.2% of the total basin area. The rivers annual average water inflows are nearly 110 billion cubic metres. Nearly 50% of the water availability is being harnessed. The water allocation from the river among the riparian states are governed by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal.
Tributaries
The major left bank tributaries include the Purna, Pranhita, Indravati, and Sabari River, covering nearly 59.7% of the total catchment area of the basin. The right bank tributaries Pravara, Manjira, and Manair contribute 16.1% of the basin.
The Pranhita River is the largest tributary of the Godavari River, covering about 34% of its drainage basin. Though the river proper flows only for 113 km (70 mi), by virtue of its extensive tributaries Wardha, Wainganga, Penganga, the sub-basin drains all of Vidharba region as well as the southern slopes of the Satpura Ranges. Indravati is the 2nd largest tributary, known as the "lifeline" of the Kalahandi, Nabarangapur of Odisha and Bastar district of Chhattisgarh.
Geology and sediment transfer in the Godavari Drainage Basin
The primary and initial catchment of the Godavari drainage basin is largely represented by the basalt of the Deccan Volcanic Province (~50% of the total basin area). This is followed by the Precambrian granites and gneisses of the eastern Dharwar Craton, sandstones, shales and limestones of the Gondwana Supergroup, various sedimentary units of Cuddapah and Vindhyan basins, charnockites and khondalites of the Proterozoic Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt and the sandstones of the Rajahmundry Formation. The Godavari River carries the largest sediment load among the peninsular rivers and the majority of the mass transfer in Godavari occurs during the monsoon.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Godavari River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Godavari: Key Facts
| Length | 1,465 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 3,061 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 313,000 km² |
| Mouth | Bay of Bengal |
| Tributaries | Indravati River, Kadam river, Pranhita River, Sabari River, Manjira River, Maner River, Kinnerasani River, Pravara River |
Facts from Wikidata Q191314 (CC0).
Dams on the Godavari
3 dams on the Godavari, ordered by structural height, with their reservoirs and generating capacity.
| Dam | Height | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polavaram Dam | 48 m | 960 MW | 2024 |
| Jayakwadi Dam | 41 m | 12 MW | 1976 |
| Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (Dowleswaram) | 10.6 m | — | 1852 |
Polavaram Dam
Earth-cum-Rockfill dam · Andhra Pradesh, India
Polavaram Dam is an earth-cum-rockfill dam on the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, India, standing 48 m (157 ft) high and completed in 2024. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 960 MW. The structure impounds Polavaram Reservoir.
The Polavaram Project is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in the Eluru District and Polavaram District in Andhra Pradesh, India. The project has been accorded National Project status by the Central Government of India. Its reservoir back water spreads up to the Dummugudem Anicut, i.e. approx 150 kilometres (93 mi) back from Polavaram dam on main river side and approx 115 kilometres (71 mi) on the Sabari River side. Thus, back water spreads into parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha States. Polavaram Hydroelectric Project (HEP) and National Waterway 4 are under construction on left side of the river. It is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) upstream of Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage in Rajamahendravaram City and 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Rajahmundry Airport.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Polavaram Project (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Earth-cum-Rockfill
- Structural height
- 48 m (157 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 960 MW
- Impounded river
- Godavari
- Reservoir
- Polavaram Reservoir
- Location
- Andhra Pradesh, India
- Year completed
- 2024
- Height rank
- #92 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #52 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 17.2558°, 81.6567°
Notable: National status multipurpose irrigation project connecting Godavari and Krishna.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Polavaram Dam ranks #92 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #52, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Rajahmundry (29 km), Kakinada (70 km), Machilipatnam (128 km).
More about Polavaram Dam
History
In July 1941, the first conceptual proposal for the project was mooted by the Madras Presidency. Diwan Bahadur L. Venkatakrishna Iyer, then Chief Engineer in the Presidency's irrigation department, made the first survey of the project site and made a definitive proposal for a reservoir at Polavaram. Sri Iyer not only envisaged cultivation of 350,000 acres (140,000 ha) over two crop seasons through this project, but also planned for a 40 MW hydroelectric plant within the project. The project, when it was conceived in 1946–47, was estimated to cost Rs 129 crore.
In 1980, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Tanguturi Anjaiah laid the foundation stone for the Polavaram irrigation project.
Design and technical details
The Polavaram Project incorporates several major hydraulic and geotechnical structures, including an earth-cum-rock fill (ECRF) dam and a gated concrete spillway—the world’s largest spillway by discharge capacity. According to the Polavaram Project Authority, the spillway is 1,118.40 metres (1.11840 km) long and is fitted with 48 radial gates of size 16 m × 20 m, designed to pass a probable maximum flood of 1,41,435 cumecs, equivalent to about 50 lakh cusecs.
The spillway is located on the right bank of the Godavari River rather than on the river section because the central riverbed comprises deep sand layers unsuitable for stable foundations.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Polavaram Project (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Jayakwadi Dam
Earthen dam · Maharashtra, India
Jayakwadi Dam is an earthen dam on the Godavari in Maharashtra, India, standing 41 m (135 ft) high and completed in 1976. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 12 MW. The structure impounds Nath Sagar.
Jayakwadi Dam is an earthen dam located on Godavari river at the site of Jayakwadi village in Paithan, India. It is a multipurpose project. The water is mainly used to irrigate agricultural land in the drought-prone Marathwada region of the state. It also provides water for drinking and industrial usage to nearby towns and villages and to the municipalities and industrial areas of Sambhajinagar and Jalna districts. The surrounding area of the dam has a garden and a bird sanctuary.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Jayakwadi Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Earthen
- Structural height
- 41 m (135 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 12 MW
- Impounded river
- Godavari
- Reservoir
- Nath Sagar
- Location
- Maharashtra, India
- Year completed
- 1976
- Height rank
- #100 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #99 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 19.4939°, 75.3889°
Notable: One of the largest earthen dams in Asia, vital for Marathwada irrigation.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Jayakwadi Dam ranks #100 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #99, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Aurangabad (45 km), Ahmednagar (79 km), Parbhani (146 km).
More about Jayakwadi Dam
History and significance
A plan to build a dam on Godavari river in the drought-prone Marathwada region was first conceived during rule of state of Hyderabad. The plan was to build a dam in Beed district near Jayakwadi village with storage capacity of 2,147 MCM (million cubic meters). The project came to be known as Jayakwadi project after the name of the village. However, after formation of new state of Maharashtra and comparative analysis on alternative places, it was decided to build a dam 100 km upstream at Paithan. The project was continued to name as Jayakwadi even after it was shifted to a new location. Building dam at higher level made it possible to have longer canals and thus providing irrigation facility to a larger region.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Jayakwadi Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (Dowleswaram)
Barrage dam · Andhra Pradesh, India
Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (Dowleswaram) is a barrage dam on the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, India, standing 10.6 m (35 ft) high and completed in 1852. The structure impounds Godavari Delta Regulator.
The Dhawaleswaram Barrage was an irrigation structure originally built in 1852 by Sir Arthur Cotton on the lower stretch of the Godavari River before it empties into the Bay of Bengal. Retrofitting was done in 1970, and it was officially renamed as Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage, also known as Dhawaleswaram Barrage.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Dowleswaram Barrage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Barrage
- Structural height
- 10.6 m (35 ft)
- Impounded river
- Godavari
- Reservoir
- Godavari Delta Regulator
- Location
- Andhra Pradesh, India
- Year completed
- 1852
- Height rank
- #114 of 115 indexed
- Coordinates
- 16.9383°, 81.7611°
Notable: Landmark 3.6-km delta weir engineered by Sir Arthur Cotton, transforming Godavari delta into 'Rice Bowl'.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (Dowleswaram) ranks #114 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m).
Nearest cities: Rajahmundry (11 km), Kakinada (51 km), Machilipatnam (103 km).
More about Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (Dowleswaram)
Geography
The Godavari River empties its water into the Bay of Bengal after flowing nearly fifty miles from the Dhavaleshwaram Barrage. Rajamahendravaram is a city situated on the left bank of Godavari River. Upstream, where the river is divided into two streams; the Gautami to the left and the Vasistha to the right, forms the joining line between the West Godavari and the East Godavari districts. The dam alignment crosses two mid stream islands.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Dowleswaram Barrage (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
Godavari: Quick Answers
- Where is Godavari?
- Godavari is located in India, at 18.8296° N, 77.9448° E.
- Are there dams on the Godavari?
- Yes. YearMaps records 3 dams on the Godavari: Polavaram Dam, Jayakwadi Dam, Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage (Dowleswaram).
- What is the tallest dam on the Godavari?
- Polavaram Dam is the tallest dam recorded on the Godavari, at 48 m (157 ft), completed in 2024.
- Which dam on the Godavari generates the most electricity?
- Polavaram Dam has the largest installed hydroelectric capacity on the Godavari: 960 MW. Installed capacity is the maximum rated output, not the annual average.