Khandoli Dam

Khandoli Dam
Location in Jharkhand
Official name Khandoli Dam
Country India
Location Giridih, Jharkhand
Coordinates 24°14′22″N 86°20′55″E / 24.23944°N 86.34861°E / 24.23944; 86.34861Coordinates: 24°14′22″N 86°20′55″E / 24.23944°N 86.34861°E / 24.23944; 86.34861
Status Functional
Construction began 1955
Opening date 1957
Owner(s) Damodar Valley Corporation
Dam and spillways
Height 51 feet (16 m)
Length 2,718 feet (828 m)
Spillways 3
Spillway capacity 60 feet (18 m) clear Width [1]
Reservoir
Creates Khandoli Lake
Total capacity 6,300 acre feet (7,800,000 m3)[1]

Khandoli Dam (Hindi: खंडोली डैम) is a dam located 10 km North-East of Giridih town towards Bengabad in Jharkhand, India. Khandoli is also a village at the foot of the Khandoli hill. The reservoir of the Khandoli dam provides water supply to more than one lakh residents of the Giridih town.[2][3] It is an important tourist spot in the state of Jharkhand.[4]

Description

The Khandoli hill has a peculiar shape of a saddle and is made up of Granitoid gneiss.[5] The peak of khandoli hill appears similar to a volcanic cone and has a great saddle consisting of massive boulders attached to it.[5] Recently the urban development department has made plans to desilt the Khandoli lake after decades.[6]

Wildlife

Great cormorant

Every year thousands of migratory birds arrive at Khandoli lake by travelling thousands of kilometres from northern Asia, Himalayan belt, Africa and Australia.[7][8] Great cormorant, Siberian duck, Siberian crane, brahminy shelduck (ruddy shelduck), bar-headed goose, mallard and several other species migrate to the dam for breeding. The migration of birds generally begins from the second week of November every year for a warmer climate and return around March.[8] As many as forty different species of birds come to Khandoli but their number has reduced over the years mainly due to pollution and poaching.[7] Some animals such as rabbit, guinea pig, peacock, owls etc. are also kept in cages in the amusement park.

Tourism

Khandoli has been developed as a tourism attraction by district tourism department. The number of tourists increase in the winter months for bird-watching due to the presence of migratory birds in the area. An amusement park spread over 6 acres (2.4 ha) is built near the lake which offers joy rides in toy train and swings. Elephant and camel safaris and numbers of other amusement facilities are available. A canteen is available for convenience of the tourists. A watch tower and 600 feet high hillock offers a panoramic view of Khandoli site.[9]

Adventure sports

Kayaking

Khandoli is a popular spot for aerial, mountaineering and water related adventure sports owing to the physical and the relief features of the area.[10] Aerial adventure activities include hot air ballooning, paragliding and parasailing from both land and water. Khandoli Hill with its vast range of granite rocks with various shapes, offer varied challenges to rock climbers in rock climbing, rappelling, river Crossing (zip-line), trekking. The reservoir of Khandoli dam (Khandoli lake) is used by pedal boats, speed boats and water scooters for water related adventure activities such as scuba diving, rafting, canoeing, sailing, kayaking, ringo ride, waterskiing and surfing.[11] Khandoli is also used to impart training in water sports at national level. The Jharkhand Adventure Tourism Institute (JATI) is the nodal state level body which imparts training in and promote water and aero sports.[11][12][13]

These adventure sports attract tourists from across country. Large number of tourists from Mumbai, Kolkata, Burdwan, Orissa and Bihar arrive to engage in water sports. The Khandoli area has been leased by the administration for further development for tourism.[14]

External video
Video of Khandoli by Dept. of Tourism, Jharkhand Govt showing the Khandoli lake, hill, amusement park, flora and fauna

References

  1. 1 2 "Information Panel at Khandoli Dam". Damodar Valley Corporation.
  2. ↑ District census handbook, Bihar, Volume 14, Part 1. Govt. of Bihar. 1966. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  3. ↑ Akhtar, Shahnawaz (April 28, 2009). "April assault drying up reservoir, pit well in Giridih". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Calcutta, India. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Prasad, Basudeo (1 January 2009). "Sustainable eco-tourism development: A case study of Jharkhand state". Spectrum. 1 (1): 62. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  5. 1 2 Mandal, R.B. (2006). Water Resource Management. Concept Publishing Company,. p. 35. ISBN 978-81-8069-318-2.
  6. ↑ Gupta, Amit (April 12, 2011). "Choked for decades - TASK: Clean up reservoirs WHEN: Anybody's guess". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Calcutta, India. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  7. 1 2 Jaipuriar, Vishvendu (November 28, 2011). "Fewer winged guests in Giridih". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Calcutta, India. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  8. 1 2 Akhtar, Shahnawaz (December 6, 2005). "Visiting birds under threat - poaching rampant in khandoli". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Calcutta, India. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  9. ↑ Akhtar, Shahnawaz (December 27, 2006). "Picnic pinch". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Calcutta, India. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  10. ↑ "Adventure Tourism in Jharkhand". Website of Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Jharkhand. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  11. 1 2 Sahuliyar, Arti (November 4, 2009). "State pitches for adventure tourism". The Telegraph (Calcutta). Calcutta, India. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  12. ↑ "Giridih Tourism". Official Website of Giridih. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  13. ↑ "Jharkhand Fast Facts". Jharkhand. Envis Centre on Ecotourism, Govt of India. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  14. ↑ "Goa experience, Giridih style - Ringo ride, water skiing & surfing on offer for budget tourists at Khandoli reservoir". The Telegraph (Kolkata). Calcutta, India. January 7, 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
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