Bhandardara Dam Construction Railway
Bhandardara Dam Construction Railway
The construction of the Bhandardara Dam at Bhandardara [1] on the Pravera River commenced in 1910. It is the largest earthern dam in India. It was to provide irrigation to the Ahmednagar region the British constructed a dam across Pravara River which commenced in 1910 and completed in 1926; at 270 feet(83metres) high above river bed and 278 feet(85metres) above lowest foundation it was the highest dam in Asia when it was built [2]
The site for this dam was discovered in 1903 by Mr. Arthur Hill, the chief engineer for irrigation and secretary to government, Bombay. In recognition of the valuable services rendered by him to irrigation in the Bombay Presidency the lake was named after him, “Lake Arthur Hill” also now popularly known as Bhandardara Lake [2].
The dam was opened by his Excellency Lt. Col. the Right Hon’ble Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Bombay, on 10th December 1926, the dam was named after him, “Wilson Dam” to honour his contribution [2].
Construction Railway
Stone was supplied from quarries by a light railway, which at lmeast up to 1919, was human powered. A short line operated from the rock crushers to the morter mill feed platforms with hand operated tip wagons to supply sand [3].
The project wasq completed in 1926 and an advert appeareed in 'Indian Engineering' offering locomotives, light rails, tip wagons and other equipment for sale at Chotri station. The identity and gauge of the system is unknown[3]
References
- ↑ Wikipedia "Bhandardara"; Retrieved 10 Mar 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Anandvan Resorts "Bhandardara Dam History" ; Retrieved 10 Mar 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 “Industrial Railways and Locomotives of India and South Asia” compiled by Simon Darvill. Published by ‘The Industrial Railway Society’ 2013. ISBN 978 1 901556 82-7. Available at http://irsshop.co.uk/India. Reference: Entry MH03 page ....
