Rihand
Rihand is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. Rihand 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
- 24.17°, 82.92°
About Rihand
The Rihand River (also referred to as Renu, Renuka, Rend, Rer or Rehar) is a tributary of the Son River and flows through the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Its old name was Renu or Renuka.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Rihand River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rihand in Depth
Course
The Rihand rises from Matiranga hills, in the region south west of the Mainpat plateau, which is about 1,100 meters above mean sea level. The river flows north roughly through the central part of Surguja & Surajpur district for 160 kilometres (99 mi). The Rihand and its tributaries form a fertile plain in the central part of the district stretching from its origin to Lakhanpur, Surajpur, Pratappur. Thereafter, it flows north into Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh via Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh, where it is called Rhed and finally joins the Son.
it is principal tributaries in Surajpur district are the Mahan, the Morana (Morni), the Geur, the Gagar, the Gobri, the Piparkachar, the Ramdia and the Galphulla.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Rihand River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rihand: Key Facts
| Length | 250 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 12,500 km² |
| Mouth | Son River |
| Drainage system | Ganges Basin |
Facts from Wikidata Q7333902 (CC0).
Rihand Dam
Rihand Dam
Concrete Gravity dam · Uttar Pradesh, India
Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Rihand in Uttar Pradesh, India, standing 91 m (299 ft) high and completed in 1962. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 300 MW. The structure impounds Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar.
Rihand Dam, also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is the second-largest dam in India by volume (storage), behind only Indirasagar Dam of Madhya Pradesh. The reservoir of Rihand Dam, called Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is India's largest manmade lake. Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam located at Pipri in Sonbhadra District in Uttar Pradesh. Its reservoir is on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is located on the Rihand River, a tributary of the Son River. The catchment area of this dam extends over Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh states, and it supplies irrigation water to Bihar, located downstream.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Rihand Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Concrete Gravity
- Structural height
- 91 m (299 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 300 MW
- Impounded river
- Rihand
- Reservoir
- Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar
- Location
- Uttar Pradesh, India
- Year completed
- 1962
- Height rank
- #52 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #70 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 24.2089°, 83.0294°
Notable: Largest man-made artificial reservoir in India by surface area (~450 km²).
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Rihand Dam ranks #52 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #70, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Mirzapur (114 km), Varanasi (125 km), Aurangabad (150 km).
More about Rihand Dam
Background
Before the dam was built, Renukoot, the town in which it was built, was a primarily agrarian locale. The region lacked basic modern features such as adequate transportation, roads, and electricity, but the prospect of arable land provided a boon for local villages to farm and sustain themselves. Authorities recognized the potential for growth in the region, as Sonbhadra was home to vast natural resources including coal and forests with various types of trees such as sal, bamboo, khair, and salal. Building a dam to harness the power of the Rihand would represent a first step in developing the region and bringing industry to it.
British colonial authorities were interested in building a dam on the Rihand River as early as 1940.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Rihand 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
Rihand: Quick Answers
- Where is Rihand?
- Rihand is located in India, at 24.1659° N, 82.9228° E.
- Are there dams on the Rihand?
- Yes. YearMaps records one dam on the Rihand: Rihand Dam.
- How tall is Rihand Dam?
- Rihand Dam is 91 metres (299 ft) high and was completed in 1962.