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Question 56 of 131 · Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India
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The tallest dam in India, located in Uttarakhand, is the:

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Answer: Option A — Tehri Dam

Detailed Solution

The Tehri Dam, about 260.5 metres high, is the tallest dam in India and one of the tallest dams in the world. It is located near New Tehri in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.

Location and type:

  • It is built on the Bhagirathi river, below its meeting point with a Himalayan tributary at the old town of Tehri.
  • It is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam.
  • Its reservoir is about 52 square km in area.

History:

  • The project was approved in 1972, and construction began in 1978.
  • It faced strong opposition from environmentalists and local people, led by Sunderlal Bahuguna of the Chipko movement, because of the risk of earthquakes in the region and the displacement of people.
  • The old town of Tehri, a former princely capital, was submerged by the reservoir, and residents were relocated to New Tehri.
  • The dam was completed in 2006.

Tehri Hydro Power Complex:

  • Tehri Dam and Hydro Power Plant: 1,000 MW.
  • Koteshwar Hydroelectric Project downstream: 400 MW.
  • Tehri Pumped Storage Plant: 1,000 MW; its units were commissioned in 2024-2025, making it one of the largest pumped storage projects in India.
  • The project is operated by THDC India Limited.

Benefits:

  • It provides hydroelectric power to several northern states.
  • It supplies drinking water to Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh.
  • It irrigates large areas of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Concerns:

  • The region lies in a seismically active zone of the Himalayas.
  • Large-scale displacement and loss of fertile valleys were major social issues.

Other tall dams of India:

  • Bhakra Dam (about 226 m), on the Sutlej.
  • Lakhwar Dam (under construction) on the Yamuna in Uttarakhand.
  • Idukki Dam (about 169 m) in Kerala.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Bhakra Dam is a tall concrete gravity dam, but lower than Tehri.
  • ✗Lakhwar is a dam project on the Yamuna.
  • ✗Idukki is a dam in Kerala.

Quick tip

Remember: Tallest dam in India = Tehri Dam (about 260.5 m) on the Bhagirathi, Uttarakhand; rock and earth-fill.

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Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India's drainage system: the Himalayan rivers (the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems), the peninsular rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi and Mahanadi), their tributaries and origins, waterfalls, lakes, and the major dams and multipurpose river projects. Exams ask about the origin of a river, its tributaries, the cities on its banks, and the river on which a dam is built. For example, the Bhakra Nangal Dam is on the Sutlej, the Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi, and the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada. Remember that the Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea, while most peninsular rivers flow east. Practise the rivers, lakes and dams of India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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