Salient Features of Pagladiya Dam Prject, Assam

1.

Location of the Project

Category of the Project

(a) Irrigation

(b) Flood moderation

(c) Hydropower
3

4.

Hydropower
(i) Name of the river
(ii) Catchment area
(a) Upto dam site
(b) Upto Indo-Bhutan
(c) Free catchment in India up to dam site
(iii) maximum observed discharge
(a) AT Thalkuchi (Dam Site)
(b) At N.T. Road crossing
(iv) Average Annual Yield
(v) Design flood peak for flood protection
(vi) 75% dependable Yield

Country : India
State : Assam
District : Nalbari
River : Pagladiya
Dam site: Near Thalkuchi village,
About 26 km. north of Nalbari town
Geographical Co-ordinates:
Longitude -910 31/ 0 // E
Latitude 260 37/ 54.4// N
Nearest BG Rail Head : Nalbari
Nearest Goods Yard : Rangia.
Nearest Airport : LGBI Airport,
Borjhar, Guwahati-15
Multipurpose Irrigation, Flood
Control and Hydropower.
GCA: 54160 ha on the right bank of
Pagladiya
Net irrigable area: 34630 ha
Moderation of Peak Discharge: 625
cumecs at N.T. Road Bridge,
considered safe carrying capacity of
the river in the downstream reaches
of the dam
Installed Capacity: 3.0 MW
Annual Energy: 8.64 GWH at load
factor 42%
Pagladiya
570 sq. km
381 sq. km
189 sq. km
1272 cumecs
1734 cumecs
939.16 MCW
1911 cumecs
645.73 MCM

Reservoir
(a) Dead storage level (MDDL)

76.85 m

(b) Conservation level

81.75 m

(c) Full Reservoir level

86.50 m

(d) Maximum Water level

88.18 m
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(e) Gross storage at FRL

(f) Dead storage
(g) Live storage at MWL
(h) Water spread area at FRL
(i) Sedimentation rate
5.

(b) Elevation of top of Dam

(c) Height of the dam above deepest river bed
E.L. 68.00 m
(d) Width at top of the dam and length
(e) Width at river bed level

294.38 MCM
3706 HA.
0.16 ha-/km2/Year
Rolled Earth fill Dam
EL 93.00 m
25.00 m
6.00 m. 21 Km
180.00 m

Spillway
(a) Type
(b) Elevation of Crest
(c) Maximum design discharge (PMF)
(d) Type and No. of gates
(e) Gate size
(f) No. of Bays
(g) No. of piers

45.46 MCM

Dam
(a) Type

273.83 MCM

Ogee shaped
EL 72.00 m
5775 cumecs
Radial gates 6 Nos
10 m (width) x 9.5 m (height)
6 bays of 10 m each
5 piers of 7.00 m thickness

Irrigation
a) Gross Command area (GCA)

54160 Ha.

b) Net Irrigable Area

34630 Ha.

c) Intensity of Irrigation
i) Present

100.64%

ii) Proposed

133.00%

d) Annual irrigated area

54160 Ha.

e) Annual Irrigation Water requirement

excluding evaporation loss
f) Annual utilizable ground water

68232 Ha.m.

g) Annual utilizable surface water

34570 Ha. m.

33662 Ha.m.

h) Domestic Water Supply

6120 Ha.m.

i) Evaporation Loss

2590 Ha.m.

j) Nos. of deep tube well proposed

230 Nos.
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k) Full supply discharge at head of main canal

46.30 cumecs

l) Length of main canal

m) Total length of branches
n) Total length of distributaries
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6.20 km.
39.50 km.
102.30 km

Flood Control
Storage requirement

168.23 MCM

R&R

10

Total financial outlay for entire rehabilitation

programme (proposed)
Cost of the Project (Revised)

a)

Cost of dam & appurtenant (Unit I)

Rs. 817.95 crores

b)

Cost of canal and drainage works (Unit II)

Rs. 138.24 crores

c)

Cost of power generation

Rs. 102.83 crores

RS. 1069.40 crores

Rs. 10.38 crore

11. Benefits
a)

Annual benefit from flood control

b)

Annual benefit from irrigation & fishery

c)

Annual benefit from power

d)

Component

Allocation of cost

Flood control

Rs. 23024.00 lakh

Irrigation

Rs. 77714.00 lakh

Power
e)

Rs. 1957.00 lakh

Rs. 10454.78 lakh
Rs. 294.00 lakh

Rs. 2262.00 lakh

B.C. ratio
Components

Bearaibility method

Flood control

1.00

Irrigation

1.06

Power

1.00

Project (overall)

1.05

12

Submergence of forest land

13

Affect of flora

14

Affect of fauna

15

Affect on wild life

Nil
No rare, endangered or threatened
species affected (As per BSI report)
No endemic or endangered faunal
species affected (As per ZSI report)
No wild life habitat including Manas
Tiger Reserve will be affected (Forest
Department, Government of Assam).
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Note: The salient features stated above are as per specification drawings
received from the CWC. The construction design and drawings are under
preparation in the Central Water Commission and the salient features at
construction stage will be available after the construction drawings are
completed by the CWC.
UPDATED STATUS OF PAGLADIYA DAM PROJECT
The project meant for flood moderation to benefit an area of 40000 ha, irrigation
to 54,160 ha and incidental power generation of 3 MW is proposed across
Pagladiya River at Thalkuchi in Baska District which falls under Bodoland
Territorial Autonomous Distinct (BTAD) in Assam. The project envisages
construction of 25m high and 21 km long earth dam with a concrete spillway.
The Government of India had sanctioned the project in January, 2001 at an
estimated cost of Rs. 542.90 crore for construction by Brahmaputra Board.

Works carried out since 2001

Pre-construction survey, investigation, studies, design, drawings etc.
Taking possession of land (956 ha) for Resettlement & Rehabilitation
(R&R) purpose.
Construction of project roads, offices, etc.
Preparation of technical specifications & tender document
Pre-qualification of contractors for main works.

The start of effective implementation of the project is dependent on two

activities to be carried out by the State Government of Assam viz (i) Zirat Survey
(property assessment) of the Project Affected Families (PAF) for finalizing the
Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) Plan and (ii) Land allotment /acquisition
for R&R and project construction. These two activities could not be carried out
due to the resistance from a section of the PAF. Even after vigorous efforts at
various levels upto Honble Minister (WR) and others with Government of
Assam, no headway has been achieved.
A meeting was held on 23rd Oct/2009 in the conference room of the Chief
Secretary, Govt. of Assam, wherein the Board officials emphasized that it would
be ideal if the dam could be constructed at Thalkuchi. However, as an alternate to
this, possibility can be explored at the confluence of Pagla & Diya near IndoBhutan border. As the submergence areas fall within Bhutan, the matter would
require to be taken up with Government of Bhutan through Ministry of External
Affairs, Govt. of India.
The possibility of an alternative dam site upstream of Thalkuchi was explored
keeping into account the resultant submergence to be within the Indian
Territory, Brahmaputra Board carried out studies to explore the alternate site in
the upstream of Thalkuchi, but the site is said to be not suitable due to the
following reasons
1. The whole reservoir area falls in the Bhabar zone where the reservoir
leakage is much higher.
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2. The population density upto 10 km U/S of Thalkuchi is such that the

displacement of population due to submergence is not likely to change
significantly and as such no apparent benefit will be achieved.
3. The catchment area intercepted will be reduced to 1/3rd of that of
Thalkuchi which will reduce the benefit accured from the project.
Hence, no suitable alternative site is available in the upstream of Thalkuchi. The
matter has been intimated to the MoWR on 29.11.2010 (Annex-III). The
Commissioner(B&B) has requested (on 27.12.2010) (Annex-IV) the Chief
Secretary to the Govt. of Assam to offer views in the matter. Later on, the
Secretary, WRD, Govt. of Assam was also requested from Brahmaputra Board to
expedite the submission of views of Govt. of Assam on 10.02.2011 & 13.09.2011.
But the same is still pending.
In the meanwhile, on 10.06.2011, a meeting was held in the Secretariat of Bodo
Land Territorial Council (BTC), Kokrajhar. In the meeting Brahmaputra
Board officials discussed the aforesaid issues in details and stressed the need to
conduct the Zirat survey for ascertaining the actual picture of PAF to prepare a
detailed plan of R&R. The Board authority, also provided a copy of the National
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007 to the Secretary, BTC, Kokrajhar in
August/2011 and requested to initiate the Zirat Survey of the proposed area
under submergence at an early date. Response from BTC is awaited.
The stalemate situation was discussed in the 53rd Meeting of Brahmaputra Board
held on 02-06-2011 wherein it was decided to temporarily close the offices
under the project. Accordingly, the manpower deployed in the project site has
been transferred to other offices of Brahmaputra Board. The temporary closure
of the offices under Pagladiya Dam Project has already been completed. In the 6th
High Powered Review Board Meeting held on 18-01-2012, the Secretary, Govt. of
Assam referred to the statement made by the Honble Chief Minister, Assam
about one more effort he would like to make with BTC to break the deadlock on
Pagladiya Project. In the 54th Meeting of the Brahmaputra Board held on 11-022012 at Aizawl, Mizoram, the Members were apprised about the huge financial
liability involved due to which there was no alternative but to temporarily close
down the offices.

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