A Visit to Bhakra Dam
Last July I paid a visit to Bhakra Dam, the biggest dam in the world. What a spectacular sight! The dam is 740 feet in height—four times the height of Qutab Minar, and has the biggest lined canal in the world. The number of bricks used to construct this canal could build a road from Delhi to New York!
The Bhakra Dam is a multi-purpose project. The Gobind Sagar lake on which it is built is the biggest man-made lake in the world. It has a storage capacity of 75 lac cubic feet of water!
A tunnel has been constructed under the river bed at Nangal to inspect any damage that may be caused to the dam. The Nangal Hydel canal is a huge canal, and is as large as a river. This dam is particularly useful for the states of Punjab and Rajasthan. Thanks to it, Punjab has become the granary of India. Nearly all the villages in Punjab, even those in the interior, now get electricity. Millions of units of electricity are also being produced for domestic, industrial and agricultural purposes. Further, electricity is being supplied to Delhi, Rajasthan and some parts of Uttar Pradesh. The Central Government is developing many cottage industries as well.
Thus, Bhakra Dam has given a new dimension to northern India. Vast stretches of desert are now being converted into fertile fields where corn, cotton and sugarcane are grown. Poverty and scarcity is gradually receding and unemployment is being replaced by hope for a better tomorrow. Certainly, the Bhakra Dam is worth a visit.
