Tungabhadra
Tungabhadra is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. 2 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
- 2
- Coordinates
- 15.36°, 76.51°
About Tungabhadra
The Tungabhadra River (Kannada: [t̪uŋɡɐbʱɐd̪rɐ]) starts and flows through the Karnataka, India, for most of its course, then through the borders of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh where it ultimately joins the Krishna River near Gudimalla and Murvakonda villages.
The Tungabhadra derives its name from two streams, the Tunga, about 147 km (91 mi) long, and the Bhadra, about 178 km (111 mi) long, which rise in the Western Ghats. The river after the confluence of the two streams in Koodali near Shimoga runs for about 531 km (330 mi) till it joins the river Krishna at Sangamaleshwaram in Andhra Pradesh. It runs for 382 km (237 mi) in Karnataka, forms the boundary between Karnataka and Telangana for 58 km (36 mi) and further runs for the next 91 km (57 mi) in Andhra Pradesh. The total catchment area of the river is 69,552 km2 (26,854 sq mi) up to its confluence with the Krishna and it is 28,177 km2 (10,879 sq mi) up to Tungabhadra Dam. It is influenced chiefly by the South-West monsoon. It is a perennial river, but the summer flows dwindle to as low as 2.83 to 1.42 cumec (100 to 50 cusec).
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Tungabhadra River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Tungabhadra in Depth
Course
The Tungabhadra River is formed by the confluence of the Tunga River and the Bhadra River at Koodli, which flow down the eastern slope of the Western Ghats in the Karnataka. The two rivers originate in Kalasa Taluk of Chikmagalur district of Karnataka along with the Netravati River (a west-flowing river, joining the Arabian Sea near Mangaluru). The Tunga and the Bhadra rise at Gangamoola, in Varaha Parvatha in the Western Ghats, at an elevation of 1,458 metres (near Samse Village).
After emerging from the same source, the Bhadra River flows through Kudremukha mountain region, Tarikere Taluk and the industrial city of Bhadravathi, while the Tunga River flows through Sringeri, Thirthahalli and Shimoga Taluks.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Tungabhadra River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Tungabhadra: Key Facts
| Length | 710 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 650 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 72,200 km² |
| Source | Western Ghats |
| Mouth | Krishna River |
| Tributaries | Bhadra River, Vedavathi River, Varada |
Facts from Wikidata Q949183 (CC0).
Dams on the Tungabhadra
2 dams on the Tungabhadra and the tributaries that feed it, ordered by structural height, with their reservoirs and generating capacity.
| Dam | River | Height | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli) | Bhadra | 59 m | 39 MW | 1965 |
| Tungabhadra Dam | Tungabhadra | 50 m | 127 MW | 1953 |
Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli)
Masonry / Earth dam · Karnataka, India
Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli) is a masonry / earth dam on the Bhadra, in the Tungabhadra basin, in Karnataka, India, standing 59 m (194 ft) high and completed in 1965. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 39 MW. The structure impounds Bhadra Reservoir, about 122 km² on the map.
The Bhadra Dam or Lakkavalli Dam, which has created the Bhadra Reservoir, is located on the Bhadra River a tributary of Tungabhadra River. Bhadra Dam is located in Chikmagalur district on the border of Bhadravathi and Tarikere, in the western part of Karnataka in India. The benefits derived from the reservoir storage are irrigation with gross irrigation potential of 162,818 hectares (402,330 acres), hydro power generation of 39.2 MW (three powerhouses, located on the right and left bank main canals), drinking water supply and industrial use. The dam commissioned in 1965 is a composite earth cum masonry structure of 59.13 metres (194.0 ft) height with length of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) at the crest level, which submerges a land area of 11,250.88 hectares (27,801.5 acres).
Adapted from Wikipedia: Bhadra Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Masonry / Earth
- Structural height
- 59 m (194 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 39 MW
- Impounded river
- Bhadra
- River basin
- Tungabhadra
- Reservoir
- Bhadra Reservoir
- Location
- Karnataka, India
- Year completed
- 1965
- Height rank
- #76 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #91 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 13.7000°, 75.6333°
Notable: Major multi-purpose project in Chikmagalur near Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli) ranks #76 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #91, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
The Reservoir: Bhadra Reservoir
Bhadra Reservoir is the water body held back by Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli), with a mapped surface of about 122 km², impounded in 1963. The area is computed from the mapped outline and is approximate.
Nearest cities: Shimoga (27 km), Davangere (91 km), Mangalore (123 km).
More about Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli)
Geography
The Bhadra River rises at Samse in the Western Ghats Aroli hill range of Kudremukh range, Chikkamagaluru district and flows east across the Deccan Plateau. It is joined by its tributaries, the Somavahini (drains from a crater and meets Bhadra River at Hebbe), Thadabehalla, and Odirayanahalla.The more than 90% of the catchment area lies in Chikkamagaluru District. The river flows through the city of Bhadravathi and the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. The Bhadra meets the Tunga River at Koodli, a small town near Shivamogga. The combined river continues east as the Tungabhadra, a major tributary of the Krishna, which empties into the Bay of Bengal. The Bhadra Dam is built across the Bhadra River in Lakkavalli- Tarikere taluk.
Ecology
The Bhadra River flows through the Bhadra Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary and the Bhadra Reservoir is on its northern border. The sanctuary has rich avifauna such as junglefowl, red spurfowl, painted bush-quail, emerald dove, southern green imperial pigeon, great black woodpecker, Malabar parakeet and hill myna. Reptiles reported in the river and the reservoir are the marsh crocodiles and monitor lizards. Common river otter and smooth Indian otters, gaurs and leopards are commonly sighted in the reserve. The wildlife can be viewed by taking a boat ride in the reservoir when Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Safari and the Sakkrebyle Elephant Camp can also be visited.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Bhadra Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli): Key Facts
| Operator | Karnataka Water Resources Department |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q4900535 (CC0).
Tungabhadra Dam
Masonry dam · Karnataka, India
Tungabhadra Dam is a masonry dam on the Tungabhadra in Karnataka, India, standing 50 m (164 ft) high and completed in 1953. It carries an installed hydroelectric capacity of 127 MW. The structure impounds Pampa Sagar, about 380 km² on the map.
The Tungabhadra Dam, also known as Pampa Sagar, is a water reservoir constructed across the Tungabhadra River in the Hosapete-Koppal confluence in Karnataka, India. It is a multipurpose dam serving irrigation, electricity generation, flood control, etc. for the state. It is India's largest stone masonry dam and one of the only two non-cement dams in the country, the other being the Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala. The dam is built of surki mortar, a combination of mud and limestone, commonly used at the time of its construction.
The dam was a joint project undertaken in 1949 by the erstwhile Kingdom of Hyderabad and Madras Presidency when the construction began later, after India's constitution into a republic in 1950, it became a joint project between the governments of Madras and Hyderabad states. The construction was completed in 1953. The Tungabhadra Dam has withstood the test of time for over 70 years and is expected to well cross many more decades.
The chief architects of the dam were Vepa Krishnamurthy and Pallimalli Papaiah of Hyderabad and M. S. Tirumale Iyengar of Madras.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Tungabhadra Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Dam type
- Masonry
- Structural height
- 50 m (164 ft)
- Installed capacity
- 127 MW
- Impounded river
- Tungabhadra
- Reservoir
- Pampa Sagar
- Location
- Karnataka, India
- Year completed
- 1953
- Height rank
- #88 of 115 indexed
- Output rank
- #80 of 102 indexed
- Coordinates
- 15.2589°, 76.3389°
Notable: Lifeline for the historic Vijayanagara/Hampi heartland and Rayalaseema.
Among the 115 dams indexed in YearMaps, Tungabhadra Dam ranks #88 by structural height, behind Jinping-I Dam (305 m). By installed generating capacity it ranks #80, behind Three Gorges Dam (22,500 MW).
The Reservoir: Tungabhadra
Tungabhadra is the water body held back by Tungabhadra Dam, with a mapped surface of about 380 km², impounded in 1957. The area is computed from the mapped outline and is approximate.
Nearest cities: Hospet (5 km), Bellary (63 km), Davangere (99 km).
More about Tungabhadra Dam
History
The famine-ridden region of Rayalseema, then comprising the districts of Bellary, Anantapur, Kurnool and Cuddapah, attracted the attention of British engineers as early as 1860. To relieve the intensity of famines in these districts, proposals were made in 1860 to utilise the waters of the Tungabhadra through a storage reservoir and a system of canals to provide irrigation for the lands. Several agreements were reached for harvesting and imposing restrictions on utilising the Tungabhadra waters. Protracted negotiations and investigations lasted for about eighty years.
In 1860, Sir Arthur Cotton of Madras Presidency originally conceived the Tungabhadra project. His proposals were further modified and developed subsequently, evolving it into a joint scheme with the Kingdom of Hyderabad.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Tungabhadra Dam (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Tungabhadra Dam: Key Facts
| Crest length | 2,443 m |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q7853026 (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
Tungabhadra: Quick Answers
- Where is Tungabhadra?
- Tungabhadra is located in India, at 15.3601° N, 76.5056° E.
- Are there dams on the Tungabhadra?
- Yes. YearMaps records 2 dams on the Tungabhadra and its tributaries: Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli) (on the Bhadra), Tungabhadra Dam.
- What is the tallest dam on the Tungabhadra?
- Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli) is the tallest dam recorded on the Tungabhadra system, at 59 m (194 ft), completed in 1965.
- Which dam on the Tungabhadra generates the most electricity?
- Tungabhadra Dam has the largest installed hydroelectric capacity on the Tungabhadra: 127 MW. Installed capacity is the maximum rated output, not the annual average.