NAGARJUN SAGAR HISTORY

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is the world's largest masonry dam built across Krishna River in Nagarjuna Sagar, Nalgonda District of Andhra Pradesh, India, between 1955 and 1967. The dam contains the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir with a capacity of up to 11,472 million cubic meters. The dam is 490 ft (150 m) tall and 1.6 km long with 26 gates which are 42 ft (13 m) wide and 45 ft (14 m)tall. Nagarjuna Sagar was the earliest in the series of large infrastructure projects initiated for the Green Revolution in India; it also is one of the earliest multi-purpose irrigation and hydro-electric projects in India. The dam provides irrigation water to the Nalgonda District, Prakasam District, Khammam District and Guntur District and electric power to the national grid.

HISTORY:-

                   The proposal to construct a dam to use the excess waters of the Krishna river was sketched out by the British rulers in 1903 on the supervision of Hyderabad Nizams. Since then, various competing sites in Siddeswaram, Hyderabad and Pulichintala were identified as the most suitable locations for the reservoirs. The perseverance of the Raja of Muktyala paved way for the site identification, design and construction of the dam.Nagarjnasagar was the earliest in the series of "modern temples" taken up to usher in the Green Revolution in INDIA.

Project construction was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister JAWAHARLAL NEHRU on 10 December 1955, and preceded for the next twelve years. The reservoir water was released into the left and right bank canals by the then Prime Minister INDIRA GANDHI in 1967. Construction of the hydropower plant followed, with generation increasing between 1978 and 1985, as additional units came into service.

The construction of the dam submerged an ancient Buddhist settlement, Nagarjunakonda, which was the capital of the 1st and 2nd centuries, the successors of the satavahanas in the Eastern Deccan. Excavations here had yielded 30 Buddhist monasteries, as well as art works and inscriptions of great historical importance. In advance of the reservoir's flooding, monuments were dug up and relocated. Some were moved to Nagarjuna's Hill, now an island in the middle of the reservoir. Others were moved to the mainland.

BRIEF INFORMATION:-

                                Built across Krishna River in Nagarjuna Sagar, the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is a stonework dam in Andhra Pradesh. This dam is known to be the world`s tallest masonry dam, at a height of 124 meters. The reservoir can hold water up to 11, 472 million cubic meters.

                                  Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is one of the earliest irrigation and hydroelectric projects in India. The dam is the prime source of irrigational water to the Nalgonda District, Khammam District, and Prakasam District and Guntur District.

The then Prime Minister`s daughter, Indira Gandhi in 1967, inaugurated the functions of the dam and released the water. The construction of the dam unfortunately, submerged an ancient Buddhist settlement, Nagarjunakonda. This was the capital of the Ikshvaku dynasty in the 1st and 2nd centuries. The successors of the Satavahanas in the Eastern Deccan settled in this settlement. 

Excavations here had yielded the remains of 30 Buddhist monasteries, as well as inscriptions and art works of great historical importance. Before the incident of the reservoir flooding, the monuments were dug up and relocated; some of them were shifted to Nagarjuna`s Hill. This hill is now an island in the middle of the reservoir. The other monuments were moved to the mainland.

In February 1956, the project started but modern equipment could not be bought due to scarcity of funds. The project was finally constructed with stone instead of concrete. A cement factory was build near Macherla to meet the project requirement. A railway line was laid that connected the project location and the cement factory. Sunkesula queries situated very close to the project supplied stones. Rayavaram stream and Hail River were the suppliers of sand. The construction of the dam was completed by 1969.

The Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was started at its complete form from 1972 after fitting the huge crest gates. Two canals were constructed to supply water from this reservoir, one on right and other on the left. Total expenditure on the project including maintenance till 2005 was approximately 1300 crore rupees. The number of workers labored in the project varied from 45,000 to 70,000. During the construction, around 174 people died due to accidents.

The Nagarjuna Sagar Dam project benefited farmers in the districts of Guntur, Prakasam, Krishna, Nalgonda and Khammam. The right canal is the Jawahar canal, which is 203 km long and irrigates 1.113 million acres (4,500 km²) of land. The left canal or the Lalbahadur Shastri canal is 295 km long and irrigates 1.03 million acres (4,200 km²) of land. The project changed the economy of the mentioned districts. 52 villages were drowned in water and 24000 people were homeless. The rehabilitation of the people was completed by 1967.

The Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is also an important hydro electric plant of the state and has a power generation capacity of 815.6 MW with 8 units (1x110 MW+7x100.8 MW). First unit was sanctioned on 7th March 1978 and 8th unit on 24th December 1985. The right canal plant has a power generation capacity of 90 MW with 3 units of 30 MW each. The left canal plant has a power generation capacity of 60 MW with 2 units of 30 MW each.

The catchment area of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is 215000 Sq km or 83012 sq mi. The masonry dam constituted of the spillway of dam (471 m) and non-over flow dam (979 m). The length of masonry dam is 1450 m and the maximum height is 125 m. The total length of the earth dam is 3414 m and the height is 26 m.