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Nagarjunasagar dam: 50 not out
Water level in the Nagarjunasagar dam built across Krishna River may have hit dead storage level this year, but it was on this day five decades ago the project started to drench the parched lands turning the arid zone districts of Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nalgonda and Khammam into rice granaries.
Billed as one of the biggest masonry dams in the world, the Nagarjunasagar dam was inaugurated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on August 4, 1967
​Nagarjunasagar: Water level in the Nagarjunasagar dam built across Krishna River may have hit dead storage level this year, but it was on this day five decades ago the project started to drench the parched lands turning the arid zone districts of Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nalgonda and Khammam into rice granaries.
The Nagarjunasagar dam, which was originally conceived by the Nizams of Hyderabad as Lower Krishna Project aka Nandikonda project, became a reality when Nehru laid foundation stone on December 10, 1955.
“This is a stepping stone for India's prosperity and a symbol of the series of modern temples taken up,” the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said, inaugurating the works of the dam, billed as one of the biggest masonry dams in the world.
A dozen years later (August 4, 1967), it was his daughter and the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, inaugurated the dam letting out the water partially through the Left, known as Lal Bahadur, and Right (Jawaharlal) canals, ushering in Green Revolution.
Since then, the 179-kilometre-long Left Main Canal of the dam is mainly catering to the irrigation needs of 6.41 lakh acres in Nalgonda and Khammam districts, and 2.5 lakh acres in Krishna and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. On the other hand, the 203-km-long Right Canal serves the needs of 11.74 lakh acres in Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts.
However, the project has lost over one-fourth of its storage capacity so far due to silt over the years, the gargantuan dam stands like a mountain, epitomising the hard work of thousands of workmen and engineers.
In all, 162 persons, including eight engineers, died during the construction of the dam. The cost of the project and two canals was estimated at Rs 80 crore.
Fact file
- Full reservoir level (FRL): 590 ft
- Gross storage at FRL: 312 tmcft
- Dead storage level: 510 ft
- Power generation: Capacity 815.6 MW with 8 units
- Share decided by Bachawat Tribunal:
- AP- 58.39% and Telangana-41.61%
