Lal Bahadur Shastri Dam / Almatti Dam on the banks of Krishna River, Bijapur & Bagalkot

The Almatti Dam is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna River in North Karnataka, India which was completed in July 2005. The target annual electric output of the dam is 560 MU (or GWh).

The Almatti Dam is the main reservoir of the Upper Krishna Irrigation Project; the 290 MW power station is located on the right side of the Almatti Dam. The facility uses vertical kaplan turbines: five 55MW generators and one 15MW generator. Water is released in to the Narayanpur reservoir after using for power generation to serve the downstream irrigation needs. Two separate facilities namely, Almatti 1 Powerhouse and Almatti II Powerhouse each separated by distance do provide power generation capabilities.

During the initial stages of the project, estimated costs were projected as Rs.14.70 billion, but following the transfer of project’s management to the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), the estimated cost was reduced by over fifty percent to Rs. 6.74 billion. The KPCL eventually completed the project at an even lower cost of Rs. 5.20 billion.[citation needed] The entire dam was finished in less than forty months, with construction ending in July 2005. The dam is located on the edge of Bijapur and Bagalkot districts. Geographically, it is located in the Bijapur district, but large areas of Bagalkot district have also been submerged due to filling of the reservoir. The dam holds a gross water storage capacity of 123.08 TMC at 519 meters MSL

The Almatti Dam is in a Bijapur, a small town Northern Karnataka, and is built across the Krishna river. The construction was done in 2005, so it is a relatively new dam. It is the main reservoir of the Upper Krishna Irrigation Project and it uses Kaplan Turbines.

Water is released into the Narayanpur reservoir once it uses it for power generation and serves the irrigation requirements. The height was increased by 10 meters in this dam after the Supreme Court ordered to do so.

QUICK FACTS

Built on River Krishna

Type Composite

Length 1,565.15 meters

Height 23.31 meters

Length of spillway 486.50 meters

Number of gates 26

Filling period From June to November

Depletion period From November to May

Projects Upper Krishna irrigation project

Almatti Dam A picnic Spot

There are about seven terrace gardens that have been built as a picnic spot in Almatti dam area. Musical fountains, stagnant fountains, boating facilities etc. have been set up here for people who wish to visit it. This makes it a great tourist attraction. There is a garden named ‘Rock Hill’ situated on one of side of this Dam. It also has an artificial forest with ceramic wild animals.

Nearby Tourist Attractions

Apart from the artificial forest and the rock gardens, there are several other tourist attractions in and around Almatti Dam. There are several Mosques and temples for those who are looking to enjoy a religious trip or a pilgrimage. Several cultural historic places are also there that would give you an overview of the ancient era. Some of them are listed below:

• Anand Mahal

• Citadel

• Jama Masjid

• Gol Gumbaz

• Kudalasangama (Temple)

• Malik –e- Maidan

• Narasimha Temple

• Bara Kaman

• Chandi Bawadi

• Lotus lake

• Bijapur Palace

How to Reach

By Air

1) Belgaum Air Port -> Bagalkot 2) Hubli Air Port -> Bagalkot

By Train

1) (Hubli to Bagalkot) Train Name: UBL SUR PASS Train No:56906 Departure Time 13:00 2) (Bangalore to Bagalkot) Train Name: BASAVA EXPRESS Train No:17307 Departure Time 17:00

By Road

1) Hubli To Bagalkot 122.6 km Via NH52 2) Bijapur To Bagalkot 83.8 km via NH52 3) Belgum To Bagalkot 140.5 km via Bachi - Raichur Hwy 4) Bangalore To Bagalkot 529.0 km via NH 48