Dams in Nashik
Nashik has been identified as tribal region by the Maharashtra government. This place acts as the source for several important rivers in Maharashtra. Many dams have been built in Nashik district, because of the abundance of water sources. Godavari River (popularly known as Ganga of South India) originates at the holy city of Nashik. Apart from it there are many other rivers originating from Nashik, such as Girna, Darna, Aram, Mosam, Vaitarna, Kadwa and Manyad.
Nashik district has successfully made many river-linking projects with the dams, which have provided ample supply for drinking, electricity and agriculture in the area. During the heavy rain fall season, some of the dams starts overflowing, but these issues are managed by channelizing the excess water to other dams. You can find many dams in Nashik, the major ones being: Darna, Gangapur and Girna dams. Find below more about the famous dams in Nashik:
Gangapur Dam in Nashik
Gangapur dam in Nashik, the longest earthen dam in Asia was constructed in year 1954. This dam has built on the river Godavari in the outskirts of Nashik city. This was the first dam to be built in the district. This dam is located at Gangawadi village which just is 10 kms away from the Nashik. Gangapur dam has a catchment area of 357.4 Sq.km and maximum height of 36.57m. There are two canals channelizing water from the dam to the surrounding areas. The right bank canal is just 30 kms length, while the left bank canal is 64 km in length. This dam can discharge 81013 cusecs** (2294 cumecs) of water through its 9 radial gates. (**1 Cusec = 7.48 Liters)
Coordinates: 73°40'57"E 20°2'6"N
Apart from the dam related functions, the Gangapur dam is a great spot for several outdoor activities. This is an amazing spot just near to Sula vineyards, so you can always mix the trip to Sula vineyards with Gangapur dam. A short walk to the barren land might lead you to the lake formed by Gangapur dam. You can watch the moonrise from the top of the dam. You can spend some happy time at the garden nearby the dam which serves as a good picnic place, but you have to get the permission from the chief executive engineer of the dam.
If you are a nature lover, you might find some interest on the algal forms of taxonomic groups in the Gangapur dam's fresh water ecosystem. This dam is built up of clay, stones, mud and sand materials. It is also count as one of the biggest dams built on the Godavari River. Gangapur dam supplies range of benefits including river navigation, water supply, waste management and maintains ecological balance. The dam also has a religious perspective as it accumulates the water from sacred Godavari River. On weekends, you can see good crowd, especially the young.
Girna Dam in Nashik
Girna Dam, the second largest dam in Maharashtra and is an earth fill dam on Girna River near Nandgaon in Nashik district. Girna dam receives water from two rivers namely, Girna and the Godavar.. There are many small Rivers and tributaries draining towards the dam. Girna dam has a height of 54.56 m (179.0 ft) and the length of 963.17 m (3,160.0 ft). This dam can contain storage of 146,102.07 cubic meters (608,980.00 km3) of water. Girna dam covers 10000 acres of agricultural land under irrigation and satisfy the drinking need of around 10 lakh of people in the area. You may spend an evening going up the Girna dam and have some good time there.Coordinates: 74°39'41"E 20°29'16"N