River(Impounds): Bhadra River
Location: Chikkamagaluru district – Tarikere Taluk, Karnataka
Opening: 1965
Height: 59.13 metres
Length: 1,708 metres
Total Capacity: 71.50 billion cubic feet
HISTORY:
.The Bhadra Dam, (Kannada language: ), which has created the Bhadra Reservoir , is located on the Bhadra River (Kannada: a tributary of Tungabhadra River in Chikkamagaluru district in Tarikere Taluk, 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).
The Bhadra River rises at Samse in the Western Ghats Aroli hill range of Kudremukh range, 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 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, 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from Lakkavalli village and 50 kilometres (31 mi) upstream of the confluence of the Bhadra River and Tungabhadra River.Shimoga city is located 28 kilometres (17 mi) north of the dam. The Bhadra Dam drains a catchment area of 1,968 square kilometres (760 sq mi) out of which the forest area is 717.49 hectares (1,773.0 acres), cultivable land is 3,274.65 hectares (8,091.8 acres) and fallow land is 7,258.74 hectares (17,936.7 acres).[1][2][6][7] The catchment and command areas of the project lie in Chikamagalur, Shimoga and Davanagere districts.[6] A number of industries, urban and rural settlements dependent on assured water supply lie on the banks of the river and in the project command area; Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd, the Mysore Paper Mills and Vishweshvarayya Iron and Steel Industries are the major industrial activity noted in the command area of the project. Fishing activities have also increased on the bank of the river; 81 fish species from 8 orders with 14 families are recorded as endemic to the Bhadra River.
The Bhadra River basin receives an average annual rainfall of 2320 mm with rainfall occurring during monsoon period (June to November). The rainfall is experienced both during the Southwest Monsoon and North East monsoon; inflow contribution is 82% from SW monsoon (June to September) and 18% from north-eastern monsoon (October to December). The annual yield assessed from a catchment area of 1,968 square kilometres (760 sq mi) at the dam site is 84.63 BCF (billion cubic feet) in a 75% dependable year. Based on recordings taken over a period of 25 years, it has an estimated annual mean evapotranspiration of 1,678 mm.