Panshet Dam, also called Tanajisagar Dam, is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

on the Ambi river, a tributary of the Mutha River, about southwest of the city of

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

in western

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 dam was constructed in late 1950s for irrigation and, along with three other dams nearby,

Varasgaon Varasgaon is a dam on the Mose river which supplies water to city of Pune, Maharashtra, India. It is situated on Mose river. It is also called Veer Baaji Pasalkar Dam. It is one of the three major dams which provide water to Pune city. It is l ...

, Temghar and

Khadakwasla Khadakwasla Dam is a dam on the Mutha River from the centre of the city of Pune in Maharashtra, India. The dam created a reservoir known as Khadakwasla Lake which is the main source of water for Pune and its suburbs. In the vicinity of Khada ...

, it supplies drinking water to

History

Panshet Dam burst in its first year of storing water on 12 July 1961, when the dam wall burst, because of the total absence of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) strengthening in the conduit through the earthen dam. Plain unreinforced concrete blocks were used instead due to a shortage of steel. causing massive flooding in

. An estimated 1,000 people died from the resulting flood.

Location

It is about from

and about from

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

Specifications

The height of the dam above its lowest foundation is while the length is . The volume content is and gross storage capacity is .

Purpose

* Irrigation * Water supply

Attraction

* Panshet Lake Panshet is one of the famous picnic spots of Pune and attracts many visitors from Mumbai. The lake is made because of the backwater from the Panshet Dam; from the dam, tourists can see the Sahyadri mountains. * Panshet Water Park Panshet Water Park is a water sports center.

References