Indian State West Bengal is known for its rich water resources. A number of perennially flowing rivers are known to flow through west Bengal throughout the year. Some of the examples of important rivers flowing in West Bengal are Ganga, Hooghly, Damodar, Teesta, Subarnrekha, Mahananda, Ajay, Barakar, Torsa etc. A number of barrages and dams have been built on these dams to harness the maximum potential from these flowing rivers. A list of reservoirs and dams in West Bengal is tabulated the details of which are as follows –
The location or site which is considered amicable to building dams are not that much available due to lack of hilly terrain. This is the reason why there are very limited number of dams in West Bengal. The three important dams which is the backbone of West Bengal’s infrastructure and economy is Farakka dam/barrage, Durgapur barrage and Kangsabati dam.
Farakka barrage is multipurpose barrage in Murshidabad district of West Bengal very close to Bangladesh border. This barrage was commissioned in year 1972. Its main purpose is to divert the flow from Ganga to feed Hooghly river. This diversion is done to avoid the sediment deposition at Kolkata harbour.
List of Reservoirs and Dams in West Bengal
| Dams | River | Length (m) | Height (m) | Capacity (MW) | Location | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farakka Barrage | Ganga | 2240 | no hydel plant | Nawabganj district | multipurpose dam, opened in 1975 | |
| Durgapur Barrage | Damodar | 692 | 12 | no hydel plant | Bardhaman district | Multipurpose dam, opened in 1964 |
| Kangsabati Dam | Kangsbati | 10098 | 38 | no hydel plant | Paschim Mednipur | multipurpose dam |