Jhelum
Jhelum is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. 3 dams stand on this watercourse and its tributaries and are 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
- 3
- Coordinates
- 32.88°, 73.67°
About Jhelum
The Jhelum River is a major river in South Asia, flowing through India and Pakistan, and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It originates at Verinag in India-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region, flows into Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir, and then flows through the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is a tributary of the Chenab River and has a total length of about 725 kilometres (450 mi).
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Jhelum River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Jhelum in Depth
Course
It flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake before entering Pakistan-administered Kashmir through a deep narrow gorge. The Kishanganga River/Neelum River, the largest tributary of the Jhelum, joins it at Domel, Muzaffarabad, as does the next largest, the Kunhar River of Kaghan Valley. It is then joined by the Poonch River, and flows into the Mangla Dam reservoir in the Mirpur District. The Jhelum enters Pakistani Punjab in the Jhelum District. From there, it flows through the plains of Pakistan's Punjab, forming the boundary between the Jech and Sindh Sagar Doabs. It ends in a confluence with the Chenab River at Trimmu in the Jhang District. The Chenab merges with the Sutlej to form the Panjnad River, which joins the Indus River at Mithankot.
History
The river Jhelum was originally recognized by the name Vitasta. The river was called Hydaspes (Greek: Ὑδάσπης) by the ancient Greeks.
According to Greek sources, Alexander III of Macedon and his army crossed the Jhelum River in 326 BCE and defeated the Indian King Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes. After the battle, Alexander founded two cities: Nikaia, on the site where the battle was fought, and Bucephala, located at the site where he first crossed the River Hydaspes and subsequently named in honor of his recently deceased horse, Bucephalas.
The modern-day town of Jalalpur Sharif, outside Jhelum, is said to be where Bucephalus is buried.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Jhelum River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Jhelum: Key Facts
| Length | 774 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 55,300 km² |
| Mouth | Chenab River |
| Drainage system | Indus basin |
| Tributaries | Lidder River, Sind River, Neelum River, Kunhar River, Poonch River |
Facts from Wikidata Q214874 (CC0).
Dams on the Jhelum
3 dams on the Jhelum and the tributaries that feed it, ordered by structural height, with their reservoirs and generating capacity.
| Dam | River | Height | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mangla Dam | Jhelum | 147 m | 1,500 MW | 1967 |
| Uri Dam | Jhelum | 52 m | 480 MW | 1997 |
| Kishanganga Dam | Kishanganga | 37 m | 330 MW | 2018 |
Mangla Dam
Embankment dam · Azad Kashmir / Punjab, Pakistan
Mangla Dam is an embankment dam on the Jhelum in Azad Kashmir / Punjab, Pakistan, standing 147 m (482 ft) high and completed in 1967. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 1,500 MW. The structure impounds Mangla Lake.
The Mangla Dam (Urdu: منگلا بند) is a multipurpose dam situated on the Jhelum River in Pakistan, lying in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir and the Jhelum District of Punjab. It is the seventh-largest dam in the world. The fort of Mangla, which sits at the mouth of the dam, serves as its namesake. In November 1961, the project's selected contractors were revealed; it was announced that Binnie & Partners, a British engineering firm, was going to serve as the lead designers, engineers, and inspectors for the construction of the dam (led by Geoffrey Binnie). The project was undertaken by a consortium known as the Mangla Dam Contractors, consisting of eight American construction firms sponsored by the Guy F. Atkinson Company, based in South San Francisco, California.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Mangla Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Embankment
- Structural height
- 147 m (482 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 1,500 MW
- Impounded river
- Jhelum
- Reservoir
- Mangla Lake
- Location
- Azad Kashmir / Punjab, Pakistan
- Year completed
- 1967
- Height rank
- #31 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #41 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 33.1414°, 73.6421°
Notable: 6th-largest dam in the world by structure volume; built under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Mangla Dam ranks #31 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #41, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Gujrat (75 km), Rawalpindi (76 km), Islamabad (76 km).
More about Mangla Dam
Background
As part of the Indus Waters Treaty signed in 1960, India gained rights to the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej and Beas rivers, while Pakistan, in addition to the waters of the aforementioned three rivers' sections within Pakistani territory and some monetary compensation, received the rights to develop the Jhelum, Chenab and Indus river basins. Until 1967, the entire irrigation system of Pakistan was fully dependent on unregulated flows of the Indus River and its major tributaries. The agricultural yield was very low for a number of reasons, the most significant being a lack of water during critical growing periods.
Construction
The Mangla Dam was constructed at a cost of ₨1,558.7 billion (US$14.73 billion) with funding being provided by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
The dam was constructed between 1961 and 1965 across the Jhelum River and Poonch River in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, about 108 kilometres (67 mi) southeast of the capital city of Islamabad. The Mangla Dam components include a reservoir, main embankment, intake embankment, main spillway, emergency spillway, intake structures, five tunnels, and a power station. Besides the main dam, a dyke called Sukian – 17,000 ft (5,200 m) in length and a small dam called Jari Dam to block the Jari Nala – about 11 miles (18 km) beyond the new Mirpur town had to be constructed.
Operation
The project was designed primarily to increase the amount of water that could be used for irrigation from the flow of the Jhelum and its tributaries. Its secondary function was to generate electrical power from the irrigation releases at the artificial head of the reservoir. The project, though not initially designed as one, also works as a flood control structure by retaining water during the flood-prone season of Monsoon.
On 5 December 1971, the dam was damaged due to a bombing raid conducted by the Indian Air Force during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. This was against the international convention that large water reservoirs would not be targeted in war. As a consequence, the hydro project was temporarily out of service.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Mangla Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Mangla Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 3,140 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q1286541 (CC0).
Uri Dam
Run-of-river dam · Jammu & Kashmir, India
Uri Dam is a run-of-river dam on the Jhelum in Jammu & Kashmir, India, standing 52 m (171 ft) high and completed in 1997. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 480 MW. The structure impounds Jhelum Run-of-River.
Uri Dam, refers to the existing Uri-I Stage-I Hydroelectric Dam Project with 480 MW hydroelectric power generation capacity and the downstream under-construction Uri-I Stage-II Hydroelectric Dam Project with 240 MW hydroelectric power generation capacity, on the Jhelum River near Uri in Baramula district of the Jammu and Kashmir in India. Operated by the NHPC and located very near to the Line of Control - the de facto border between India and Pakistan, both are run-of-the-river projects because the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) gives Pakistan the exclusive right to regulate the Jhelum River.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Uri Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Run-of-river
- Structural height
- 52 m (171 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 480 MW
- Impounded river
- Jhelum
- Reservoir
- Jhelum Run-of-River
- Location
- Jammu & Kashmir, India
- Year completed
- 1997
- Height rank
- #87 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #63 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 34.1417°, 74.0500°
Notable: Submerged run-of-river hydro station built inside Pir Panjal mountains near Line of Control.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Uri Dam ranks #87 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #63, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Baramula (28 km), Sopore (42 km), Srinagar (70 km).
Kishanganga Dam
Concrete Gravity dam · Jammu & Kashmir, India
Kishanganga Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Kishanganga, in the Jhelum basin, in Jammu & Kashmir, India, standing 37 m (121 ft) high and completed in 2018. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 330 MW. The structure impounds Kishanganga Reservoir.
The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric scheme in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Its dam diverts water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin. It is located near Dharmahama Village, 5 km (3 mi) north of Bandipore in the Kashmir Valley and has an installed capacity of 330 MW.
Construction on the project began in 2007 and was expected to be complete in 2016. It was halted in 2011 due to a dispute with Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty, which went to a court of arbitration. Pakistan protested the effect of the project on the flow of the Kishanganga River to downstream areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In December 2013, the Court ruled that India could divert water for power generation while ensuring a minimum flow of 9 cumecs (m3/s) downstream to Pakistan.
All three units of 110 MW each were commissioned and synchronized with the electricity grid by 30 March 2018. On 19 May 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the project.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Concrete Gravity
- Structural height
- 37 m (121 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 330 MW
- Impounded river
- Kishanganga (Neelum)
- River basin
- Jhelum
- Reservoir
- Kishanganga Reservoir
- Location
- Jammu & Kashmir, India
- Year completed
- 2018
- Height rank
- #103 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #69 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 34.6500°, 74.7500°
Notable: Diverts water through a 23-km tunnel before discharging into Wular Lake / Jhelum basin.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Kishanganga Dam ranks #103 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #69, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
Nearest cities: Sopore (47 km), Srinagar (61 km), Baramula (62 km).
More about Kishanganga Dam
Design
The Kishanganga (Neelum) River is a major tributary of the west-flowing Jhelum River. Located to its north, the Kishanganga flows at a higher elevation than the Jhelum. Both the rivers originate in Indian-administered Kashmir and flow west into Pakistan-administered Kashmir, joining near Muzaffarabad. This situation presents a unique opportunity of diverting waters from the Kishenganga river into the Jhelum river through a tunnel and using the consequent flows to generate power. Both India and Pakistan have explored the possibility and came up with the Kishenganga project and the Neelum–Jhelum project respectively.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kishanganga Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 146 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q6416539 (CC0).
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
Jhelum: Quick Answers
- Where is Jhelum?
- Jhelum is located in Pakistan and India, at 32.8759° N, 73.6668° E.
- Are there dams on the Jhelum?
- Yes. YearMaps records 3 dams on the Jhelum and its tributaries: Mangla Dam, Uri Dam, Kishanganga Dam (on the Kishanganga).
- What is the tallest dam on the Jhelum?
- Mangla Dam is the tallest dam recorded on the Jhelum, at 147 m (482 ft), completed in 1967.
- Which dam on the Jhelum generates the most electricity?
- Mangla Dam has the largest installed hydroelectric capacity on the Jhelum: 1,500 MW. Installed capacity is the maximum rated output, not the annual average.