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Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Hydel Projects | ICSE 10

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GeographyICSE Class 10 · Mineral and Energy Resources

Hydel Power: The Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects (ICSE Class 10 Geography)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Draft, not yet fact-checked

Hydel (hydroelectric) power is produced by the force of falling water turning turbines. It is renewable, clean and cheap to run, though dams are costly and can displace people. The Bhakra Nangal Project on the Satluj has the Bhakra dam in Himachal Pradesh and the Nangal dam downstream in Punjab, serving Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. The Hirakud Project on the Mahanadi near Sambalpur in Odisha is one of the longest earthen dams in the world and controls floods in the Mahanadi delta.

Understand Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects

1. What is hydel power? Hydel (hydroelectric) power is produced by the force of falling water turning turbines. A dam stores water in a reservoir and releases it through turbines.

2. Advantages and disadvantages.

  • *Advantages:* renewable, clean and cheap to run.
  • *Disadvantages:* dams are costly to build and can displace people.

3. Bhakra Nangal Project.

  • *River:* the Satluj.
  • *Location:* the Bhakra dam is in Himachal Pradesh, with its reservoir called the Gobind Sagar; the Nangal dam lies downstream in Punjab.
  • *Partners:* it is a joint project of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
  • *Benefits:* irrigation for large areas of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan; hydroelectricity for these states and neighbouring areas (Himachal Pradesh, Delhi); flood control; drinking water; fisheries and tourism.

4. Hirakud Project.

  • *River:* the Mahanadi, near Sambalpur in Odisha.
  • *Feature:* one of the longest earthen dams in the world.
  • *Benefits:* flood control in the Mahanadi delta, which used to suffer frequent floods; irrigation for parts of Odisha; hydroelectricity for the industries and towns of Odisha; fisheries and navigation in the reservoir.

5. Why such projects are called multipurpose. Each serves many aims at once: irrigation, power, flood control, water supply and fisheries. This is why the answer to 'benefits of the project' should always list at least four distinct benefits.

6. Comparing the two. Bhakra Nangal is on the Satluj, which enters India from Tibet, and serves three states in the north-west; Hirakud is on a peninsular river and serves mainly Odisha, with flood control in the Mahanadi delta as a headline benefit.

Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects: key facts

Hydel power
  • Falling water turns turbines
  • Renewable, clean, cheap to run
  • Dams costly, can displace people
Bhakra Nangal
  • River Satluj
  • Bhakra dam in Himachal Pradesh, reservoir Gobind Sagar
  • Nangal dam in Punjab
  • Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
Bhakra Nangal benefits
  • Irrigation
  • Hydroelectricity (also Himachal Pradesh, Delhi)
  • Flood control
  • Drinking water
  • Fisheries and tourism
Hirakud
  • River Mahanadi
  • Near Sambalpur, Odisha
  • One of the longest earthen dams
Hirakud benefits
  • Flood control in Mahanadi delta
  • Irrigation in Odisha
  • Hydroelectricity
  • Fisheries and navigation

How to answer Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects questions

Give the river, location, partners and at least four benefits.

  1. 1Name the river and the state or states where the dam lies.
  2. 2State what kind of dam or special feature it has: Gobind Sagar for Bhakra, an earthen dam for Hirakud.
  3. 3List the benefits in separate points: irrigation, power, flood control, water supply, fisheries and tourism or navigation.
  4. 4For hydel power in general, give one advantage and one disadvantage.
  5. 5For comparisons, use the same headings for both projects.

Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A dam for four jobs

Suppose a district plans a dam on a river with the aims of irrigating farms, producing electricity, reducing floods downstream and supplying drinking water to towns.

What do we call such a project, and name one Indian example with its river.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A project serving many purposes is a multipurpose project.
  2. An Indian example is the Bhakra Nangal Project on the Satluj (or Hirakud on the Mahanadi).

Answer: A multipurpose project; for example Bhakra Nangal on the Satluj.

Memory hook: One dam, many jobs.

The cost to a village

Suppose a village lies in the area that will be submerged by the reservoir of a new dam.

Name one disadvantage of hydel projects that this illustrates, and one benefit the nation gains.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Dams can displace people.
  2. The nation gains clean, renewable and cheap-to-run electricity, plus irrigation and flood control.

Answer: Displacement of people; benefits include clean power and irrigation.

Memory hook: Power gained, homes displaced: weigh both.

Tricks to remember Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Satluj, Gobind Sagar, three states

    Bhakra Nangal: Satluj river, Gobind Sagar reservoir, Punjab-Haryana-Rajasthan.

    Use it when: Facts on Bhakra Nangal.

  • Hirakud holds the Mahanadi

    Hirakud: Mahanadi, Sambalpur, Odisha, earthen dam.

    Use it when: Facts on Hirakud.

  • Irrigate, power, flood, water, fish

    Five benefits of a multipurpose project.

    Use it when: Benefits questions.

Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Identify the project · 4 marks · Short answerBoard level

For each dam, give the river on which it is built, the state in which it lies and one special feature: (a) Bhakra, (b) Hirakud.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) Satluj; Himachal Pradesh; reservoir called the Gobind Sagar.
  2. (b) Mahanadi; Odisha, near Sambalpur; one of the longest earthen dams in the world.

Answer: (a) Satluj, Himachal Pradesh, Gobind Sagar (b) Mahanadi, Odisha, earthen dam.

Example 2: Define hydel power · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

What is hydel power? State one advantage and one disadvantage.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Hydel power is electricity produced by the force of falling water turning turbines.
  2. Advantage: renewable, clean and cheap to run.
  3. Disadvantage: dams are costly and can displace people.

Answer: Electricity from falling water; renewable and clean; dams are costly and displace people.

Example 3: Benefits of Bhakra Nangal · 5 marks · Short answerHarder board level

A farmer in Haryana, a householder in Delhi and a fish trader at a reservoir all gain from one Himalayan-river project. Name the project, explain the gain to each and name its three partner states.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Irrigation for large areas of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
  2. Hydroelectricity for these states and neighbouring areas such as Himachal Pradesh and Delhi.
  3. Flood control and drinking water.
  4. Fisheries and tourism. The project is shared by Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Answer: Irrigation, power, flood control and drinking water, fisheries and tourism; shared by Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan.

Example 4: Hirakud's flood control · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Explain how the Hirakud Project benefits (a) the Mahanadi delta, (b) Odisha's farms and industries.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) The dam controls floods in the Mahanadi delta, which used to suffer frequent floods.
  2. (b) It irrigates parts of Odisha and gives hydroelectricity for the industries and towns of Odisha.

Answer: (a) Controls delta floods (b) Irrigation and power for Odisha.

Example 5: Case study on a proposed dam · 5 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

A state proposes a multipurpose dam on a river. Villagers fear displacement while farmers downstream seek assured water. (a) List three benefits the state can claim. (b) State one concern raised by villagers. (c) Suggest why hydel power is preferred to a coal-fired plant by environmentalists.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. (a) Irrigation, hydroelectricity, flood control (or drinking water, fisheries).
  2. (b) Dams can displace people.
  3. (c) Hydel power is renewable and clean, whereas coal is non-renewable and pollutes the air.

Answer: (a) Irrigation, power, flood control (b) Displacement (c) Hydel is clean and renewable.

Where students lose marks in Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Writing wrong rivers for the projects

    Satluj, Mahanadi and similar names are swapped.

    Do this: Bhakra Nangal: Satluj. Hirakud: Mahanadi.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Giving only irrigation and power as benefits

    Flood control, drinking water and fisheries are left out.

    Do this: List at least four benefits.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.

  • Mistake: Forgetting the state of the dam

    Bhakra is placed in Punjab only.

    Do this: Bhakra dam in Himachal Pradesh; Nangal in Punjab.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

  • Mistake: Not giving a disadvantage of hydel power

    Only advantages are written.

    Do this: Add: dams are costly and can displace people.

    Usually costs: 1 mark.

Exam tips

  • Learn the facts as a card: river, location, special feature, benefits.
  • Give at least four separate benefits for any multipurpose project.
  • Include one disadvantage whenever hydel power is discussed.
  • Do not mix the states of Bhakra with those of Hirakud.

Practice questions on Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    The Bhakra dam is built on the river:
    (a) Mahanadi
    (b) Satluj
    (c) Narmada
    (d) Ganga

    Hint

    Punjab.

    Answer

    (b) Satluj.

  2. Q2 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    The Hirakud Project is located near:
    (a) Sambalpur
    (b) Kanpur
    (c) Nashik
    (d) Nagpur

    Hint

    Odisha.

    Answer

    (a) Sambalpur.

  3. Q3 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Explain how a project on the Satluj helps (a) a wheat farmer in Punjab and (b) a city in the north that needs electricity and drinking water.

    Hint

    Irrigation; power and drinking water.

    Answer

    (a) Irrigation for large areas of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, and flood control. (b) Hydroelectricity for these states and neighbouring areas such as Himachal Pradesh and Delhi, and drinking water.

  4. Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Why is hydel power called a renewable source? Give one reason why building a dam may still be opposed.

    Hint

    Falling water is replenished.

    Answer

    Hydel power uses the force of falling water, which is replenished by rainfall and rivers, so the source is not used up. Dams are costly and can displace people.

  5. Q5 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonHarder board level

    Assertion (A): The Hirakud dam helps to control floods in the Mahanadi delta.
    Reason (R): The dam stores water in a reservoir.
    (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
    (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
    (c) A is true but R is false.
    (d) A is false but R is true.

    Hint

    Storage of water.

    Answer

    (a).

  6. Q6 · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Distinguish between the Bhakra Nangal Project and the Hirakud Project on river, location and states served.

    Hint

    Use three headings.

    Answer

    Bhakra Nangal: Satluj; dam in Himachal Pradesh and Nangal in Punjab; serves Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Hirakud: Mahanadi; near Sambalpur, Odisha; serves mainly Odisha.

  7. Q7 · 3 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    A newspaper editorial argues that big dams should not be built because they displace people. Write a balanced answer of three points using the two projects you have studied.

    Hint

    Benefits and costs.

    Answer

    Dams do displace people and are costly. However, projects such as Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud give irrigation, clean and renewable power, flood control and drinking water. A balanced view weighs these benefits against displacement and works to reduce harm.

  8. Q8 · 5 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

    A delta region suffers frequent floods, its farmland lacks assured water in the dry season, and nearby towns want power. (a) Suggest a project and the river on which an example of it exists. (b) Give four benefits it would bring. (c) Mention one limitation.

    Hint

    Think of Hirakud.

    Answer

    (a) A multipurpose dam project like Hirakud on the Mahanadi. (b) Flood control, irrigation, hydroelectricity, and fisheries or navigation in the reservoir. (c) Dams are costly and can displace people.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Which river does the Hirakud dam block?Show answer

    The Mahanadi.

  2. 2.What is the reservoir of the Bhakra dam called?Show answer

    Gobind Sagar.

  3. 3.Name the three states that are partners in the project on the Satluj.Show answer

    Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

  4. 4.What kind of dam is Hirakud?Show answer

    An earthen dam, one of the longest in the world.

  5. 5.Name one disadvantage of dams.Show answer

    They are costly and can displace people.

Hydel Power: Bhakra Nangal and Hirakud Projects: frequently asked questions

What is hydel power?

Electricity produced by the force of falling water turning turbines.

Where is the Hirakud Project?

On the Mahanadi near Sambalpur in Odisha.

Which dam is in Himachal Pradesh?

The Bhakra dam, on the Satluj.

Why is hydel power clean?

It does not burn fuel, so it does not produce smoke or greenhouse gases in generating power.