Abstract
The Golden Jubilee of the successful operation of the Bhakra-Nangal Project was celebrated in July 2004. This multipurpose project has been in the service of the Indian Nation for the last five decades and has yielded immense benefits, far beyond expectations. At the opening ceremony of the Nangal Hydel Channel on 8 July 1954, India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru made a speech at Nangal and paid tribute to the good work done by the project.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
From the transcript of Nehru’s speech available with Bhakra and Beas Management Board (BBMB) office at Bhakra Dam.
- 2.
In late nineteenth century, British India initiated development of canal irrigation in arid wastelands. These canals mostly irrigated ‘crown waste lands’, that is uncultivated lands owned by the Government. This led in due course to the development of some notable ‘canal colonies’ in west Punjab and Sind, all of which presently lie in Pakistan.
- 3.
The Government of India set up in 1967 the Bhakra Management Board for the administration, maintenance and operation of the Bhakra-Nangal Project. After completion of the Beas Project works, in 1976, it was renamed BBMB and entrusted with the management of both the Bhakra-Nangal and Beas Projects as well as the regulation of the waters of the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers in India.
- 4.
For fuller details, see the text of The Indus Waters Treaty, 1960, along with all its annexures. These have been published by both governments of India and Pakistan. Some of those connected with the negotiations have also written their accounts of the evolution of the Treaty. For instance, see—Indus Waters Treaty—An Exercise in International Mediation by N.D. Gulhati, Allied Publishers, New Delhi, 1973.
- 5.
The Treaty states after the signatures of the Plenipotentiaries of India and Pakistan that it was also signed by W. A. B. Iliff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ‘for the purposes specified in Articles V and X and annexures F, G and H’.
- 6.
Hisar was originally part of Punjab province, but after the province was bifurcated, it became part of Haryana state.
- 7.
Garats are indigenous small water mills, mostly for grinding wheat.
- 8.
R.L. stands for Reduced Level, commonly used technical term denoting the elevation over a bench mark.
- 9.
Roughly, a bigha equals five-eighths of an acre.
- 10.
Kharif is the crop harvested in the autumn season.
- 11.
Abadi in local vernacular stands for habitation.
- 12.
Had bast can be loosely translated as the list of property owners in the government record.
- 13.
Purusharthi literally means energetic or industrious. Here it has been used to denote the standing committee representing the displaced people that deal with common material benefits.
- 14.
In 1952, the Government of Punjab constituted a Crop Planning Committee for the project to recommend the crop pattern tract wise, taking into consideration the climatic conditions, rainfall, water table, type of soil, local agricultural practices and other local factors.
- 15.
The term ‘Project Report’ here and later stands for the one that was approved in 1955 for execution, (punjab government 1955).
- 16.
See Table 10.3, p. 127.
- 17.
Pong stands for the dam located at Pong across the Beas River.
- 18.
The Government of India established in 1950 the Planning Commission to assess the country’s resources and to formulate a plan for their most effective and balanced utilisation. The Commission has so far brought out eleven successive five-year plans for this purpose.
- 19.
From the Press release issued by WCD on the occasion of the launch of the Final Report of the World Commission on Dams giving the text of the address by Nelson Mandela on 16 November 2000 at London.
References
BBMB (1988) Bhakra and Beas Management Board, History of Bhakra Nangal Project. Government of India, Chandigarh
Bhatia R, Cestti R, Scatasta M, Malik RPS (eds) (2008) Indirect economic impacts of dams: case studies from India, Egypt and Brazil. Academic Foundation for World Bank, New Delhi
Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) (1965) Development of irrigation in India, publication no. 76, New Delhi
Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) (2005) Proceedings workshop on impacts of Bhakra-Nangal Project, New Delhi, August
Central Water Commission (CWC) (1989) Jawaharlal Nehru and Water Resources Development. Government of India, New Delhi, April
Government of India (1903) Irrigation Commission Report. Government of India, New Delhi
Gulhati ND (1973) Indus Waters Treaty: an exercise in international mediation. Allied Publishers, New Delhi
Ministry of Irrigation and Power (1972) Report of the Irrigation Commission. Government of India, New Delhi
Ministry of Water Resources (1999) Report of the Working Group on International Dimensions. Government of India, New Delhi, September
Paddock W (1967) Famine 1975! America’s Decision: Who will survive? Little Brown, Boston
Punjab Government (1955) Bhakra Nangal Project Report, unpublished document
Rangachari R (2004) Final Report of the Study of the Bhakra Nangal Project, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, May (mimeograph for restricted circulation)
Rangachari R (2006) Bhakra-Nangal Project: socio-economic and environmental impacts. Oxford University Press, New Delhi
Roy A (1999) The greater common good. Outlook, New Delhi, 24 May
Subramaniam C (1979) The new strategy in Indian agriculture: the first decade and after. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi
Verghese BG (1994) Winning the future, Konark Publishers private Ltd, Delhi
WCD (World Commission on Dams) (2000) Dams and development, report of the World Commission on Dams. Earthscan Publications, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rangachari, R. (2012). Regional and National Impacts of the Bhakra-Nangal Project, India. In: Tortajada, C., Altinbilek, D., Biswas, A. (eds) Impacts of Large Dams: A Global Assessment. Water Resources Development and Management. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23571-9_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-23571-9_14
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-23570-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-23571-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)