Tehri dam is a large dam located near Tehri in Uttarakhand. The dam's projected capabilities include an power generation capacity of 1000 MW, an irrigation area of 2,700 km², and a supply of 1 million litres of water to industrialized cities in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. While originally slated to be built with an approximate cost of 4 million US dollars, an equivalent of over 1 billion US dollars has been spent on the construction of the dam to date.

Tehri Dam

Tehri Dam is the tallest dam in Asia and the fourth tallest rockfill dam in the world sprawling over an area of 45 sq. kms in the Bhagirathi and Bhilangana valleys near Tehri town. It is expected to produce 2400 MW of electricity, provide irrigation and drinking water. But, the dam is being opposed by scientists and environmentalists, as it is considered to be an environmental catastrophe. Opponents of the project argue that this mammoth project is destined to be a failure.

The dam project was approved in 1972, and the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) began its construction in 1978. Construction continues till date, with the final two tunnels being closed in December 2002. The Tehri dam lies at the confluence of the rivers Bhagirathi.html (a tributary of the Ganga) and Bhilangana. This dam has been the object of intense protests from environmental groups and the people of this region. Apart from environmental concerns regarding the location of large dams in the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan foothills, there are also concerns regarding the dam's safety. The Tehri dam is located in the Central Himalayan Siesmic Gap, a major geologic fault zone. This region was the site of a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in October 1991, epicentred 50 km from the location of the dam.

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