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 ...
-
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several pea ...
border region in
Doon Valley
The Doon Valley is an unusually wide, long valley within the Sivalik Hills and the Lesser Himalayas, in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Within the valley lies the city of Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand st ...
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, situated at the confluence of the Eastern Yamuna Canal and the Asan River and about from Dakpathar, and 28 km. northwest of
Dehradun
Dehradun () is the capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, district and is governed by the Dehr ...
in
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 ...
. The barrage is 287.5m long and has water throughout the year which is fed from the river Asan and the discharge channel of the river Yamuna. Since 2020 it has been declared as
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 ...
's first
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Yamuna River
The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Ba ...
. At a distance of from the barrage on the canal, water reaches the 30 MW Kulhal Power Plant at . The power plant contains three 10 MW
Kaplan turbine
The Kaplan turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable blades. It was developed in 1913 by Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, who combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to ach ...
-generators and has 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 . Once discharged from the power station, the water is conducted by the canal to the 72 MW Khara Power Station at in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...
. The Khara Power Station contains three 24 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 proc ...
-generators and a has a net head of .
The dam creates the Asan Reservoir, also called Dhalipur Lake. The lake is popular for bird watching and 53 species are known to make a habitat there, 19 species are migratory from
Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...
.
Asan River
The Asan river is a river fed by the streams of the western part of the
Doon Valley
The Doon Valley is an unusually wide, long valley within the Sivalik Hills and the Lesser Himalayas, in the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Within the valley lies the city of Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand st ...
. The northern section of the river is known locally as the 'Tons' (a misnomer, the actual
Tons River
The Tons (टौंस नदी) is the largest tributary of the Yamuna. It flows through Garhwal region in Uttarakhand, touching Himachal Pradesh. The Tons thrust is named after this river.
Its source lies in the high Bandarpunch mountain, ...
is much larger and flows into the
Yamuna
The Yamuna ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...
in the
Jaunsar-Bawar
Jaunsar-Bawar is a hilly region in Garhwal division of Uttarakhand, northern India. It is located in the north-west of Dehradun district, along the border with the state of Himachal Pradesh.
Ethnically, Jaunsar-Bawar comprises two regions, inh ...
region at Kalsi); originates from the southern slopes of
Mussoorie
Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill s ...
. There are several streams here, that gradually merge into one river that emerges from Robber's Cave. The river here is in a U-shaped valley meandering slightly in a south-westerly direction. The river flows through Bijapur canal; a major water pumping site of Dehradun that provides water to houses in the western part of the town through two water canals. It then moves on to
Tapkeshwar Mahadev
Tapkeshwar Temple of Dehradun, is also known as Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple, is one of the most famous temples dedicated to Shiva. It is situated by the forest side. The main shivalinga at the temple is inside a natural cave. There are water d ...
, a popular
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...
shrine before becoming a more shallow, broad valley near Premnagar. The river proceeds south-west, receiving the waters of several streams flowing southward from the northern range spanning
Vikasnagar
Vikasnagar is a city and a municipality in Dehradun district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Vikas Nagar is also a tehsil in Dehradun district
It is also known as Pachawadoon (Western Doon) and is the second financial and economic hub of ...
–
Mussoorie
Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill s ...
; and northward from the lower
Sivalik Hills
The Sivalik Hills, also known as the Shivalik Hills and Churia Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas that stretches over about from the Indus River eastwards close to the Brahmaputra River, spanning the northern parts of the India ...
that separate The Doon Valley from
Saharanpur district
Saharanpur district is the northernmost of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India. Bordering the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and close to the foothills of Shivalik range, it lies in the northern part of the Doab ...
of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...
. In the lower section it is known as the 'Asan'. It flows into a relatively flat section which feeds the Asan Barrage, the waters of which drain into the Yamuna at
Paonta Sahib
Paonta Sahib is an industrial town of Himachal Pradesh in India. It is located in the south of Sirmaur district, on National Highway 72 ( New NH 7). Paonta Sahib is an important place of worship for Sikhs, hosting a large Gurdwara named Gurudw ...
in
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several pea ...
.
The Asan River has been identified with the ''
Asmanvati
Rivers play a prominent part in the hymns of the ''Rigveda'', and consequently in early Vedic religion. Vedic texts have a wide geographical horizon, speaking of oceans, rivers, mountains and deserts.
The Vedic land is described as a land of ...
'' of the
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts ('' śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only on ...
.
Asan Barrage Bird Sanctuary
The Bird Sanctuary was established in 1967 as a manmade wetland where rivers Yamuna and Asan converged. This area attracts a large number of migratory birds, including birds that are extremely endangered and in the IUCN Re list Since 2020 the wetland has been designated as a protected
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
The best time to visit the Barrage is between October and December, and between mid-March to the end of April. The barrage is open all days of the week, from 8am to 6pm. Boating and bird-watching are two activities that tourists enjoy here.
Dehradun canals
Dehradun canals refers to the heritage network of canals that was once spread across Dehradun in Uttarakhand, India, with the earliest, Rajpur Canal, dating back to early 17th century. After the city became the state capital in 2000, rapid and unc ...