Maithon Dam
| Maithon Dam | |
|---|---|
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 Location in Jharkhand
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| Country | India |
| Location | Dhanbad District, Jharkhand |
| Coordinates | 23°51′1″N 86°46′40″E / 23.85028°N 86.77778°ECoordinates: 23°51′1″N 86°46′40″E / 23.85028°N 86.77778°E |
| Status | Functional |
| Opening date | 1957 |
| Owner(s) | Damodar Valley Corporation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Barakar River |
| Height | 165 ft (50 m) |
| Length | 15,712 ft (4,789 m) |
| Width (base) | 10.67 metres (35.0 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Maithon Lake |
| Surface area | 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi) |
| Power station | |
| Operator(s) | Damodar Valley Corporation |
The Maithon Dam (Hindi: मैथन बांध) is located at Maithon, 48 km from Dhanbad, in the state of Jharkhand. It is 15,712 ft (4,789 m) long and 165 ft (50 m). high.
This dam was specially designed for flood control and generates 60,000 kW of electric power. There is an underground power station, the first of its kind in the whole of South East Asia. The dam is constructed on the Barakar River. The lake is spread over 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi).
DVC is the first-ever multipurpose river valley project of independent India which came into being on July 7, 1948 by an act of Constituent Assembly (Act no. XIV of 1948). DVC has its command area of approx 24,235 km² spreading across the Damodar basin. The upper valley consists of two entire districts (Dhanbad and Bokaro) and eight districts partly in the state of Jharkhand. The lower valley on the other hand consists of five districts partly (Burdwan, Hooghly, Bankura, Howrah and Purulia) in the state of West Bengal.
DVC was set up with the intent of promoting and operating the schemes which may cause social and economic uplift in the valley region. The difficult but effective water management by the corporation has turned the devastating river Damodar from a "River of Sorrow" to a "River of opportunities".
Proficient management of water resources through dams, canals and barage, DVC facilitated irrigation as well as industrial and domestic water supply which at large benefited the region as a whole. DVC has been generating, transmitting & distributing electrical energy since 1953 and has succeeded not only in meeting the expectation of consumers but has also elevated its height in its performance.The full form of DVC is Damodar valley corporation and since it uses its main source of water from the Damodar dam it is named so.
48 km from Dhanbad, Maithon is termed as mother’s abode. It has the biggest reservoir in DVC. Conceived on the lines of Tennessee Valley, USA it has been designed for flood control & generates 60,000 kW of electric power. It is built on the river Barakar.
It has its unique underground power station, the first of its kind in South Asia. The lake is spread over an area of 65 km². It is 15,712 ft (4,789 m). long & 165 ft (50 m) high.
The dam's mission comprises:
In 1942, during the course of World War II, a flood occurred in the Damodar valley region that cut Calcutta off from the rest of the country for a period of 10 weeks. Soon the government sprang into action & called Mr. W.L.Voord, a civil engineer of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). He designed the plan of the dams by 1945. Finally the first dam of independent India came up on July 7, 1953 at Tilaiya. Soon Konar, Maithon & Panchet Dam followed in its footsteps in 1955, 1957 and 1959 respectively.
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