Ravi
Ravi is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam) stands on this watercourse and is 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
- 1
- Coordinates
- 31.60°, 74.29°
About Ravi
The Ravi River is a river in South Asia that flows through northwestern India and eastern Pakistan forming the boundary between the two nations for about 50 miles before travelling westwards across eastern Pakistan. It is one of five major rivers of the Punjab region.
Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two other rivers of the Punjab (Sutlej and Beas River) were allocated to India. Subsequently, the Indus Basin Project was developed in Pakistan, which transfers waters from western rivers of the Indus system to replenish the portion of the Ravi River lying in that country. Many inter-basin water transfers, irrigation, hydropower and multipurpose projects have been built in India.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Ravi River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ravi in Depth
Geography
The Ravi River, a transboundary river of India and Pakistan, is an integral part of the Indus River Basin and forms the headwaters of the Indus basin. The waters of the Ravi River drain into the Arabian Sea (Indian Ocean) through the Indus River in Pakistan. The river rises in the Bara Bhangal, Kangra District in Himachal Pradesh, India. The river drains a total catchment area of 14,442 square kilometres (5,576 sq mi) in India after flowing for a length of 720 kilometres (450 mi). Flowing westward, it is hemmed by the Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges, forming a triangular zone.
The Ravi River originates in the Himalayas in the Multhan tehsil of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It follows a north-westerly course and is a perennial river.
Hydrology
The waters of the Ravi River are allocated to India under the Indus Waters Treaty, signed by India and Pakistan. Within India, the river is under the jurisdiction of the riparian states of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, and Himachal, and non-riparian states of Haryana, and Rajasthan, but the management is presided by the Supreme Court of India and the Ravi Beas Tribunal, set up in 1986 for the purpose. The annual flow in India up to the final crossing point in Pakistan is 11.52 million acre-feet (14.21 cubic kilometres) (MAF) out of which 6.971 MAF is available upstream of Madhopur headworks. Most of the water generated below the Madhopur headworks (4.549 MAF) is flowing into Pakistan from India.
On the Ravi River, the earliest project built was the Madhopur Headworks, in 1902.
History
According to ancient history traced to the Vedas, the Ravi River was known as Irāvatī (Sanskrit: इरावती).
The Ravi was known as Purushni or Irawati to Indians in Vedic times and as Hydraotes (Ancient Greek: 'ϒδραώτης) and Hyarotis (Ὑαρῶτις) to the Ancient Greeks.
Part of the Battle of the Ten Kings was fought on a river, which according to Yaska (Nirukta 9.26) refers to the Ravi river at Punjab.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ravi River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ravi: Key Facts
| Length | 720 km |
|---|---|
| Mouth | Chenab River |
| Drainage system | Indus basin |
Facts from Wikidata Q317899 (CC0).
Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam)
Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam)
Earth-fill dam · Punjab / J&K, India
Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam) is an earth-fill dam on the Ravi in Punjab / J&K, India, standing 160 m (525 ft) high and completed in 2001. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 600 MW. The structure impounds Ranjit Sagar Lake.
The Ranjit Sagar Dam, also known as the Thein Dam, is part of a hydroelectric project constructed by the Punjab Irrigation Department on the Ravi River on the border of Union Territory, Jammu and Kashmir and state Punjab. It is located upstream of the Madhopur Barrage at Madhopur. A large portion, up to 60%, of the reservoir falls within Jammu and Kashmir. The dam is around and equidistant 30 km from both Pathankot in the state of Punjab and Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir. The project is used for both irrigation and power generation. The project is the largest hydroelectric dam in Punjab with a capacity of 600 megawatts. Also, the dam is amongst the highest earth-fill dams in India and has the largest diameter penstock pipes in the country. The township where the site is located is called Shah pur Kandi Township. Feasibility studies for the project began in 1953 and geotechnical studies continued until 1980. Construction began in 1981, the generators were commissioned in 2000 and the project complete in March 2001.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Ranjit Sagar Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Earth-fill
- Structural height
- 160 m (525 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 600 MW
- Impounded river
- Ravi
- Reservoir
- Ranjit Sagar Lake
- Location
- Punjab / J&K, India
- Year completed
- 2001
- Height rank
- #27 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #61 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 32.4417°, 75.7333°
Notable: Highest earth-fill dam in India, impounding the Ravi River in the Shivalik foothills.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam) ranks #27 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #61, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Pathankot (19 km), Jammu (89 km), Hoshiarpur (105 km).
More about Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam)
Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam): Key Facts
| Crest length | 617 m |
|---|---|
| Officially opened | 2001 |
Facts from Wikidata Q2131032 (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
Ravi: Quick Answers
- Where is Ravi?
- Ravi is located in Pakistan and India, at 31.5972° N, 74.2925° E.
- Are there dams on the Ravi?
- Yes. YearMaps records one dam on the Ravi: Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam).
- How tall is Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam)?
- Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein Dam) is 160 metres (525 ft) high and was completed in 2001.