Tehri Dam is a massive rock-fill dam built on the Bhagirathi River, with a height of about 260.5 m, making it the tallest dam in India and among the tallest in the world. Behind it spreads Tehri Lake, a vast 42 km² man-made reservoir filling the old Tehri valley. Today the lake is the heart of tourism in the district – offering boating, jet-ski, kayaking, banana rides, speed boats, even floating huts and houseboats, so the area is promoted as an adventure water-sports hub of Uttarakhand. Viewpoints around New Tehri and nearby hills give dramatic panoramas of emerald water surrounded by stepped fields and high ridges, and sunset cruises on the lake have become a signature experience for visitors.
About this place
History & highlights
The Tehri hydropower project was conceived in the 1960s–70s to generate electricity, provide irrigation and drinking water to north India. Construction on the main dam began in 1978 and the project was completed and commissioned around 2006. It is designed as a multipurpose project with 2400 MW planned generating capacity in its various stages. However, the dam is also one of India’s most controversial: the reservoir submerged the entire old town of Tehri and dozens of villages, displacing over one lakh people and sparking decades of protests by local residents and environmental groups. The project is now operated by THDC India Ltd., and while debates continue about seismic safety and rehabilitation, Tehri Lake has simultaneously been rebranded as a centre of eco-adventure tourism, turning a once purely developmental project into a mixed symbol of loss, modernity and opportunity.
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