Prakasam Barrage
Prakasam Barrage is located in Andhra Pradesh
Prakasam Barrage
Location of Prakasam Barrage in Andhra Pradesh
CountryIndia
LocationVijayawada, NTR district, Andhra Pradesh (previously Krishna District;before 4 April, 2022)
Coordinates16°30′22″N 80°36′18″E / 16.50611°N 80.60500°E / 16.50611; 80.60500
PurposeIrrigation & Water supply
StatusOperational
Construction began1852
Opening date1855
Owner(s)Government of Andhra Pradesh
Dam and spillways
Type of damBarrage
ImpoundsKrishna River
Length1,223.5 m (4,014 ft)
Website
irrigationap.cgg.gov.in/wrd/dashBoard

The Prakasam Barrage stretches 1223.5 m across the Krishna River connecting Vijayawada, NTR and Mangalagiri Tadepalle Municipal Corporation, Guntur districts in Andhra Pradesh, India. The barrage serves also as a road bridge and spans over a lake. The three canals associated with the barrage run through the city of Vijayawada, crossing it and giving it a Venetian appearance.

View of Barrage from boating area

The idea of constructing a dam across the river Krishna dates back to 1798. It began in the hands of captain Buckle and was revised in 1839 and 1841 by Captain Best and Captain Lake. After the endorsement of Major Cotton, the board of Directors of the East India Company approved it on 5 January 1850. The dam was started in 1852 and completed in 1855. It cost Rs 1.75 crore in those days and seems to have paid the then government a return of 18%. It used to irrigate 7 lakh acres.[1]

Later, the State Government constructed a bridge that was named after Tanguturi Prakasam, the first Chief Minister of Andhra (a state formed in 1953, which later became Andhra Pradesh in 1956 after the merger of Telugu speaking districts of former Hyderabad State). Completed in 1957, it helps to irrigate over 1.2 million acres of land. This barrage also supplies water to Buckingham canal which was initially constructed as an inland navigation canal but was later used as an irrigation water supply canal. One of the first major irrigation projects of South India, the Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada was completely successful in its mission.

Andhra Pradesh largely owes its rich agriculture to the Prakasam Barrage as the project facilitated the irrigation of large tracts of farmland. The Barrage provides views of the lake. It has become a tourist attraction of Vijayawada. On 13th Feb-2019 Andhra Pradesh chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu laid foundation[2] to construct a new barrage named Vykuntapuram Barrage on the Krishna River nearly 25 km upstream of Prakasam Barrage.

Godavari Penna Linking

Project Name FRL Creast Level MDDL Tail Race Level Power Generation Reservoir Area In km2 Storage capacity In TMC
Capacity Type of Turbines Gross Live Dead
Srisailam Project 269.75 M (885 Ft) 252.98 M (830 Ft) 214.88 M (705 Ft) 163 M (535 Ft) 1670 MW Francis Turbines 541.9 215.8 178.7 3.42
Nagarjuna Sagar 179.83 M (590 Ft) 166.42 M (546 Ft) 155.45 M (510 Ft) 73.15 M (240 Ft) 816 MW Francis Turbines 285 312 181
Nagarjuna Sagar Tail pond 75 M (246 Ft) 48.33 M (158.56 Ft) 50 MW Kaplan Turbines
Pulichinthala Project 53.34 M (175 Ft) 36.34 M (119.23 Ft) 20 M (65.6 Ft) 120 MW Kaplan Turbines 144 45.77 36.23 3.61
Vykuntapuram Barrage 25 M (82 Ft) 17 M (55.77 Ft) 10

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wright, Arnold (2004). Southern India: Its History, People, Commerce, and Industrial Resources. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120613447.
  2. ↑ Srinivas, Rajulapudi (14 February 2019). "Naidu lays foundation stone for barrage across Krishna". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
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