Gangrel dam - just like Goa

Gangrel Dam or Ravi Shankar Sagar Dam of Dhamtari district has a distinct identity in the tourism of Chhattisgarh state.

the immense amount of water makes one feel like an oceanic island.

Now after the completion of the Lake View Projector on it, it has become the most beautiful artificial beach in the country.

Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons also praised it openly.

The Gangrel Dam Project is a unique project in itself since its inception, which was built in the year 1978.

Let us know the special things about Gangrel Dam and its artificial beach.

About Gangrel Dam

Gangrel Dam also known as Ravi Shankar Sagar.

named after Ravi Shankar Shukla, in Chhattisgarh, India.

It is on the Mahanadi River.

So, the longest dam in Chhattisgarh.

The dam supplies year-round irrigation, allowing farmers to harvest two crops per year.

and is a major water supplier to the Bhilai Steel Plant.

The dam also supplies a hydroelectric capacity of 10 MW.

The dam has 14 gates (spillways)

History

Survey work started in 1965 for the construction of Gangrel Dam.

First of all, a place was searched for building a dam near the village Satiara, but due to technical reasons, the construction of the dam could not possible there.

After this, it was decided to build it between two mountains near Gangrel village at the present place.

The foundation stone of this work was laid by the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on May 5, 1972.

The work of making the foundation of this dam was done by a company named Radio Hazrat.

After this, along with Sagar Company and Mittal & Company, some other small and big companies completed this work.

After continuous work for about 6 years, the dam was completed in 1978.

The catchment area of this dam with a capacity of 32.150 TMC is spread over miles.

Apart from Dhamtari, it also includes large parts of the Balod and Kanker districts.

16 thousand 704 acres of land submerged

By the time the dam came into existence, 55 villages were included in its catchment area.

These include villages Gangrel, Chanwar, Chapgaon, Tumakhurd, Bargari, Kodegaon, Mongragahan, Singhola, Mudpar, Koralma, Kokdi, Tumabujurg, Koliyari, Tirra. , Chikhali, Kohka, Mategahan, Pataud, Harfar, Bhaisamundi, Tasi, Telguda, Bhilai, Machandur, Barbandha, Siltara, Satiyara, and other villages settled in the upper areas.

A total of 16 thousand 704.2 acres of land including 16 thousand 496.62 acres of private land and 207.58 acres of residential land for 5 thousand 347 people living in 55 villages were submerged after the Gangrel dam was filled with water.

These included the land of Malgujar Trimbak Rao Jadhav of village Barbari, Bhopal Rao Pawar of Kodegaon village, Padhrirao Kridatt of Koliyari, and other Malgujars.

Madai fairs

In many villages that were submerged by the dam, many gods and goddesses were enshrined, in whose name the Madai fairs held every year were very famous.

At present, the idol of Adi Shakti Maa Angar Moti, installed at one end of the dam, was earlier installed in village Chanwar, which had submerged about 10 km away.

Even today the fame of this goddess has spread far and wide.

Goddess Mankeshari was enshrined in the village of Lamkeni, which was later in the village of Kodegaon. The temples of Ranvasin Mata in Bhidawar, and Chhinbhanga Mata in Koralma are famous even today in the surrounding areas.

Location of Gangrel Dam

Dhamtari District

Establishment of Gangrel dam

1979

Type

The embankment, Earth fill
Gherao Mahanadi River

Height of Gangrel dam

30.5 m (100 ft)

Length of Gangrel dam

1,830 m (6,004 ft)

Dam volume

1,776,000 m (2,322,920 cu yd)

Buoyancy Passage

Capacity 17,230 m3/s (608,472 cu ft/s)

Total capacity

910,500,000 m (1.190889039×109 cubic yards)

Active capacity

766,890,000 m (1.003054250×109 cubic yards)

Surface area

95 km

Normal Elevation

333 m (1,093 ft)

The rice bowl makes Chhattisgarh

across the Mahanadi River, this is the longest dam in Chhattisgarh, whose beauty is a sight to behold.

Because of its beauty, people from far and wide come to visit here.

This dam provides water for irrigation throughout the year, due to which paddy(rice) is in abundance in its surrounding areas, and for this reason, Chhattisgarh is called the rice bowl.

The farmers of the plains here can produce two to three crops per year.

About 57000 hectares of land get irrigation with the water of this dam, about 1830 meters long and a hundred feet high.

Apart from this, it also provides water to Bhilai Steel Plant and the new capital Raipur.

A 10 MW hydroelectric power plant is also functioning at the dam.

the artificial beach here in Gangrel dam

This artificial beach is within a radius of about 1 km, which is a part of the Tribal Tourism Circuit.

This bank of the dam looks like a sea beach and facilities of the same level here.

Log huts, a cafeteria, a garden, a pagoda, and water sports facilities here under ethnic tourist destination development.

Tourists can enjoy parasailing, plyboard, octane, jarbin ball, PWC bike, banana ride, 100 seater ships, water cycling, kayaks, pedal boats, etc. here.