Asia’s First Man-Made Lake, Built on the Lowest Budget, Celebrates 65 Years Today

Asia's first man-made lake has become a hub for electricity generation, irrigation schemes, tourism, and now, cheetahs.

MP News: Asia's first man-made Gandhi Sagar Lake turned 65 today. Located on the Chambal River on the border of MP and Rajasthan, this lake is Asia's first to be completed within the lowest budget and timeframe. It is bringing a green revolution to Malwa. Due to its timely and low-budget completion, the Chief Engineer who built this lake was awarded the Padma Shri by the government. In its 65-year journey, Asia's first man-made lake has become a hub for electricity generation, irrigation schemes, tourism, and now, cheetahs.

The Gandhi Sagar dam was built under the leadership of then Chief Engineer A.K. Char, Superintending Engineer C.H. Sanghvi, and Civil Electrical Shivprakasham. For the quality of the dam and its completion within the timeframe and at the lowest cost in Asia, Chief Engineer Char was honoured with the Padma Shri.

Fact File…

• Scheme conceived in March 1950
• Foundation stone laid by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in March 1954
• Project completed on November 19, 1960
• Construction duration: 06 years
• Cost: ₹13.60 crore
• Hydroelectric power house built at a cost of ₹4.79 crore
• Catchment area: 23025 sq km
• Dam length: 1685 feet
• Dam height: 204 feet
• Reservoir area: 660 sq km
• Reservoir water storage capacity: 7164.38 cubic meters
• Energy production: 564 GWh
• Irrigation coverage: 427,000 hectares of agricultural land
• Dam capacity: 1312 feet

169 Villages in Neemuch and 59 in Mandsaur were Affected

The Neemuch district bore the brunt of the dam's construction. During the construction of the dam, 228 villages of the undivided Mandsaur district were evacuated due to submergence. After the division, 169 villages in Neemuch and 59 villages in Mandsaur district were affected. Many people were displaced from Rampura in Neemuch due to the dam, although it also increased the underground water level in many areas. In Mandsaur, displacement extended to Sanjeet and Khadavda. Even now, villages near the dam are evacuated during the rainy season due to rising water levels.