The Maneri Dam is a concrete

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation to oppose the horizontal pressure of water pushing against it. ...

on the

Bhagirathi River The Bhāgīrathī (Pron: /ˌbʌgɪˈɹɑːθɪ/) is a turbulent Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In the Hindu fa ...

located at

Maneri Maneri is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Joe Maneri (1927–2009), American jazz musician and composer *Mat Maneri (born 1969), American jazz musician and composer * Sharafuddin Maneri (1263–1381), Indian Sufi mystic (Patna, ...

, east of

Uttarkashi Uttarkashi, meaning Kashi of the north, is a town located in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Uttarkashi town is headquarters of the district. Uttarkashi is also known as Somya Kashi. Uttarkashi is a religious place for spiritual and ...

Uttarkashi district Uttarkashi District is a district of Garhwal division of the Uttarakhand state in northern India, and has its headquarters at Uttarkashi city. It has six Tehsils namely Barkot, Dunda, Bhatwadi, Chinyalisaur, Purola and Mori. The district cont ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The primary purpose of the dam is to divert water into a tunnel which feeds the

run-of-the-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...

Tiloth Power Plant.

Background

The power station is stage one of the Maneri Bhali Hydroelectric Project which was planned in the 1960s. It was completed and commissioned in 1984.

Dharasu Power Station The Dharasu Power Station is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Bhagirathi River located at Dharasu in Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, India. The power station was commissioned in 2008 and has a 304 MW capacity. Background ...

, the second stage, was halted in 1990 due to funding issues and was not restarted until 2002. It was eventually completed and commissioned by 2008.

Design and operation

The Maneri Dam is a tall and wide gravity dam with a structural volume of . It's

spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

is located on its crest and is controlled by four

tainter gate The Tainter gate is a type of radial arm floodgate used in dams and canal locks to control water flow. It is named for Wisconsin structural engineer Jeremiah Burnham Tainter. A side view of a Tainter gate resembles a slice of pie with the c ...

s. In addition to discharge tunnel, the spillway has a maximum discharge capacity of . The dam's

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

has a capacity, of which is active (or "useful") capacity. Water supplied to the power station is first diverted from the Bhagirathi River by the dam into a long tunnel directly behind the dam. The difference in elevation between the barrage and the power station affords a design

hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22. It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, ...

of and gross head of . Near the Tiloth Power Plant, the tunnel splits into three

penstock A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is inherited from the earlier technology of mill ponds and watermills. H ...

s to power each of the three 30 MW

Francis turbine The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency. The proces ...

-generators before being discharged back into the river. The design discharge of the power station is .

References

{{Power Stations of Uttarakhand Dams completed in 1984 Dams in Uttarakhand Gravity dams Uttarkashi district Dams on the Bhagirathi River Energy infrastructure completed in 1984 1984 establishments in Uttar Pradesh Hydroelectric power stations in Uttarakhand

Background

Design and operation

See also

References