Narmada
Narmada is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. 5 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
- 5
- Coordinates
- 22.56°, 77.31°
About Narmada
The Narmada River (IPA: [nəɾməd̪aː]), also known as the Narbada or anglicised as Nerbudda, is the fifth longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest river in the state of Madhya Pradesh. This river flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and is known as their lifeline due to its contribution to the two states in many ways. The Narmada River originates from the Amarkantak Plateau in the Anuppur district. It forms a traditional boundary between North and South India and flows westwards for approximately 1,312 km (815.2 mi) before draining through the Gulf of Khambhat into the Arabian Sea, 30 km (18.6 mi) west of Bharuch city of Gujarat.
Along with the Tapti, it is one of only two major rivers in peninsular India that runs from east to west, and the peninsula's longest west flowing river. It is one of a few rivers in India that flows in a rift valley, bordered by the Satpura and Vindhya ranges. As a rift valley river, the Narmada does not form a delta: rift valley rivers form estuaries. Other rivers which flow through the rift valley include the Damodar River in Chota Nagpur Plateau and the Tapti.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Narmada River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Narmada in Depth
Course
The source of the Narmada is a small reservoir, known as the Narmada Kund. It is located at Amarkantak on the Amarkantak Plateau in the Anuppur District, on Shahdol zone of eastern Madhya Pradesh. The river descends from Sonmuda, then falls over a cliff as the Kapildhara waterfall, and meanders, in the hills, flowing through a tortuous course crossing the rocks and islands, up to the ruined palace of Ramnagar. Between Ramnagar and Mandla, 25 km (15.5 mi) further southeast, the course is comparatively straight, with deep water devoid of rocky obstacles. The Banger joins from the left. The river then runs north–west in a narrow loop towards Jabalpur.
Ecology
The lower Narmada River Valley and the surrounding uplands, covering approximately 170,260 km² (65,738 sq mi), consist of dry deciduous forests. The ecoregion lies between moister forests to the northeast, southeast, and southwest, which receive greater rainfall from the southeast monsoon, and the drier forests and scrublands of the Deccan to the south and Malwa and Gujarat to the west and northwest. The natural vegetation of the region is a three-tiered forest.
Tectona grandis is the dominant canopy tree, in association with Diospyros melanoxylon, Dhaora (Anogeissus latifolia), Lagerstroemia parviflora, Terminalia tomentosa, Lannea coromandelica, Hardwickia binata and Boswellia serrata.
Geology
About 160 million years ago, the supercontinent Pangea broke into two large masses. The northern part was Laurasia and the southern continental mass was Gondwana. Between the two continents, a large sea, Tethys existed. Presently, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau have taken the position of the ancient Tethys Ocean. The Gondwana was intruded by few large marine transgressions. A deep gulf or sea existed along the Sindh-Baluchistan and Kutch. At one time, a marine ravine penetrated the very centre of Peninsular India through a narrow inlet along the present valley of Narmada. During this time, India was divided into two halves by narrow strips of marine transgressions, and there was no land communication between the Peninsular and northern India.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Narmada River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Narmada: Key Facts
| Length | 1,315 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 1,218 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 100,000 km² |
| Source | Amarkantak |
| Mouth | Arabian Sea |
| Tributaries | Tawa River |
Facts from Wikidata Q234004 (CC0).
Dams on the Narmada
5 dams on the Narmada and the tributaries that feed it, ordered by structural height, with their reservoirs and generating capacity.
| Dam | River | Height | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sardar Sarovar Dam | Narmada | 163 m | 1,450 MW | 2017 |
| Indira Sagar Dam | Narmada | 92 m | 1,000 MW | 2005 |
| Bargi Dam | Narmada | 69.8 m | 105 MW | 1990 |
| Tawa Dam | Tawa | 58 m | 13.5 MW | 1978 |
| Omkareshwar Dam | Narmada | 33 m | 520 MW | 2007 |
Sardar Sarovar Dam
Concrete Gravity dam · Gujarat, India
Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Narmada in Gujarat, India, standing 163 m (535 ft) high and completed in 2017. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 1,450 MW. The structure impounds Sardar Sarovar Lake.
The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam built on the Narmada River near the town of Kevadia, in Narmada District, in the Indian state of Gujarat. The dam was constructed to provide water and electricity to the Indian states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, laid the foundation of the project on 5 April 1961. The project took form in 1979 as part of a development scheme funded by the World Bank through their International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, to increase irrigation and produce hydroelectricity, using a loan of US$200 million. The construction of the dam began in 1987, but the project was stalled by the Supreme Court of India in 1995, in the backdrop of Narmada Bachao Andolan, over concerns of displacement of people. In 2000–01, the project was revived but with a lower height of 111 meters under directions from the Supreme Court, which was later increased to 123 meters in 2006, and 139 meters in 2017. The Sardar Sarovar Dam is 1,210 meters long. The dam was inaugurated in 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Sardar Sarovar Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Concrete Gravity
- Structural height
- 163 m (535 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 1,450 MW
- Impounded river
- Narmada
- Reservoir
- Sardar Sarovar Lake
- Location
- Gujarat, India
- Year completed
- 2017
- Height rank
- #23 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #42 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 21.8294°, 73.7489°
Notable: Second largest concrete volume dam in the world; feeds irrigation canal to the Thar desert.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Sardar Sarovar Dam ranks #23 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #42, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Vadodara (80 km), Surat (117 km), Navsari (139 km).
More about Sardar Sarovar Dam
History
This project was envisioned by the first Home Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of this project in 1961. His government carried out a thorough survey to study the usage of the Narmada River, which flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to the Arabian Sea.
As the river was shared between the three states (Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) there were disputes regarding the sharing of water and other important resources. As the negotiations were not successful a report was created, and the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT) was established in 1969. In 1979 the NWDT gave its verdict after assessing all the reports.
Geography
The dam is located in Gujarat's Narmada district and Kevadia village, on the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra. To the west of the dam, is Madhya Pradesh's Malwa plateau, where the Narmada river dissects the hills tracts and culminates in the Mathwar hills.
The dam is 1,210 meters long and stands 163 meters tall. The Sardar Sarovar reservoir has a gross capacity of 0.95 million hectares meter and live storage capacity of 0.586 million hectares meter (5860 hm³). It occupies an area of 37,000ha with an average length of 214 km and width of 1.7 km. The river catchment area above the dam site is 88,000 square kilometers. It has a spillway discharging capacity of 87,000 cubic meters a second. This dam is one case study to learn about Integrated River Basin Planning, Development and Management.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Sardar Sarovar Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Sardar Sarovar Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 1,210 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q2120392 (CC0).
Indira Sagar Dam
Concrete Gravity dam · Madhya Pradesh, India
Indira Sagar Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, India, standing 92 m (302 ft) high and completed in 2005. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 1,000 MW. The structure impounds Indira Sagar Reservoir.
The Indira Sagar Dam is the largest dam in India, in terms of volume of water stored in the reservoir. It is located on the Narmada River at the town of Narmada Nagar, Punasa in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh in India. The foundation stone of the project was laid by the prime minister of India Indira Gandhi on 23 October 1984. The construction of the main dam started in 1992. The downstream projects of ISP are Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, and Sardar Sarovar Project. To build it, a town of 22,000 people and 100 villages were displaced.
The Project involved construction of a 92 m high and 653 m long concrete gravity dam. It provides irrigation to 1,230 square kilometres of land with annual production of 2.7 billion units in the districts of Khandwa and Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, and power generation of 1,000 MW (8x125 MW) installed capacity. In terms of storage of water, it is the largest reservoir in India, with capacity of 12.22 billion cu m or 12.2 km3, followed by Rihand Dam, Uttar Pradesh then Nagarjuna Sagar between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The dam was built as a joint venture between Madhya Pradesh irrigation and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Indirasagar Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Concrete Gravity
- Structural height
- 92 m (302 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 1,000 MW
- Impounded river
- Narmada
- Reservoir
- Indira Sagar Reservoir
- Location
- Madhya Pradesh, India
- Year completed
- 2005
- Height rank
- #51 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #51 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 22.2853°, 76.4678°
Notable: Largest water reservoir in India by storage capacity (12.2 billion m³).
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Indira Sagar Dam ranks #51 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #51, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Indore (79 km), Burhanpur (115 km), Ujjain (122 km).
Bargi Dam
Masonry / Earth dam · Madhya Pradesh, India
Bargi Dam is a masonry / earth dam on the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, India, standing 69.8 m (229 ft) high and completed in 1990. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 105 MW. The structure impounds Bargi Reservoir.
Bargi Dam is one of the first completed dams out of the chain of 30 major dams to be constructed on Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh, India. It has 21 gates. Two major irrigation projects, named Bargi Diversion Project and Rani Avantibai Lodhi Sagar Project, have been developed by the Bargi Dam administration.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Bargi Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Masonry / Earth
- Structural height
- 69.8 m (229 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 105 MW
- Impounded river
- Narmada
- Reservoir
- Bargi Reservoir
- Location
- Madhya Pradesh, India
- Year completed
- 1990
- Height rank
- #61 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #82 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 22.9431°, 79.9167°
Notable: First completed major dam of the 30 planned dams on the Narmada River; lifeline for Jabalpur.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Bargi Dam ranks #61 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #82, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Jabalpur (26 km), Sagar (156 km), Nagpur (215 km).
Tawa Dam
Masonry / Earth dam · Madhya Pradesh, India
Tawa Dam is a masonry / earth dam on the Tawa, in the Narmada basin, in Madhya Pradesh, India, standing 58 m (190 ft) high and completed in 1978. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 13.5 MW. The structure impounds Tawa Reservoir.
Tawa Reservoir is a reservoir on the Tawa River in central India. It is located in Itarsi of Narmadapuram District of Madhya Pradesh state. The reservoir was formed by the construction of the Tawa Dam, which began in 1958 and was completed in 1978. The dam provides irrigation to farm lands in Narmadapuram and Harda districts. It is also a tourist attraction during the monsoon months. It was designated as a Ramsar site of national importance in 2024.
Tawa Reservoir forms the western boundary of Satpura National Park and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Tawa Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Masonry / Earth
- Structural height
- 58 m (190 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 13.5 MW
- Impounded river
- Tawa (Narmada)
- River basin
- Narmada
- Reservoir
- Tawa Reservoir
- Location
- Madhya Pradesh, India
- Year completed
- 1978
- Height rank
- #78 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #97 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 22.5569°, 77.9806°
Notable: Located inside Satpura National Park, critical for irrigating Hoshangabad and Harda districts.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Tawa Dam ranks #78 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #97, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Bhopal (97 km), Sagar (164 km), Amravati (180 km).
More about Tawa Dam
History
The Tawa Dam had been built by the Madhya Pradesh government on the Tawa river in the 1970s to ensure enough water supply and hydropower to millions of people in the state. The dam was made under the leadership of late Shri Vinay Kumar Diwan. He was also known as Denva Ke Gandhi for his work for public welfare. He was a public representative in the region for almost two decades serving as MLA. But, while the Dam was being built, the oustees were not resettled properly. They were given only Rs. 75 - 150 for an acre of land and were resettled just on higher ground without the adequate supplies that were promised by the Indian Government.
Over the years, the oustees lost their fishing rights. The Government took over fishing rights indefinitely.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Tawa Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Omkareshwar Dam
Concrete Gravity dam · Madhya Pradesh, India
Omkareshwar Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, India, standing 33 m (108 ft) high and completed in 2007. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 520 MW. The structure impounds Omkareshwar Reservoir.
The Omkareshwar Dam is a gravity dam on the Narmada River just upstream of Mandhata in Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is named after the Omkareshwar temple located just downstream. The dam was constructed between 2003 and 2007 with the purpose of providing water for irrigation of 132,500 ha (327,000 acres). An associated hydroelectric power station located at the base of the dam has an installed capacity of 520 MW.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Omkareshwar Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Concrete Gravity
- Structural height
- 33 m (108 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 520 MW
- Impounded river
- Narmada
- Reservoir
- Omkareshwar Reservoir
- Location
- Madhya Pradesh, India
- Year completed
- 2007
- Height rank
- #107 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #62 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 22.2458°, 76.1608°
Notable: Gravity dam built directly upstream of the sacred island shrine of Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Omkareshwar Dam ranks #107 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #62, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Indore (61 km), Burhanpur (105 km), Ujjain (112 km).
More about Omkareshwar Dam
Omkareshwar Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 949 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q19320716 (CC0).
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
Narmada: Quick Answers
- Where is Narmada?
- Narmada is located in India, at 22.5596° N, 77.3125° E.
- Are there dams on the Narmada?
- Yes. YearMaps records 5 dams on the Narmada and its tributaries: Sardar Sarovar Dam, Indira Sagar Dam, Bargi Dam, Tawa Dam (on the Tawa), Omkareshwar Dam.
- What is the tallest dam on the Narmada?
- Sardar Sarovar Dam is the tallest dam recorded on the Narmada, at 163 m (535 ft), completed in 2017.
- Which dam on the Narmada generates the most electricity?
- Sardar Sarovar Dam has the largest installed hydroelectric capacity on the Narmada: 1,450 MW. Installed capacity is the maximum rated output, not the annual average.