List of Dams in Karnataka gives the dam names, the rivers they are built on and their locations in the state. Water Resources Department, Karnataka keeps the project details and salient feature PDFs of more than 70 irrigation projects, including major dams and reservoirs, on its official portal.
Dams in Karnataka handle irrigation, drinking water supply and hydroelectric power. Tungabhadra Dam near Hospet is the largest dam in the state. Vani Vilasa Sagara in Chitradurga district is the oldest, built in the pre-independence period across the Vedavathi river.
Dams in Karnataka List
Karnataka is one of the leading dam building states in India. Rivers like Krishna, Cauvery, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Kali and Sharavathi carry most of these dams. Each project serves a set of districts, and the water is shared between irrigation canals, drinking water lines and power houses.
Before the full list, here is a quick look at the main details of the state dam list.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| List Name | List of Dams in Karnataka |
| State | Karnataka |
| Maintained By | Water Resources Department, Government of Karnataka |
| Projects Covered | More than 70 major and medium irrigation projects, including dams, reservoirs, barrages and tanks |
| Largest Dam | Tungabhadra Dam, Vijayanagara district |
| Oldest Dam | Vani Vilasa Sagara, Chitradurga district |
| Official Website | waterresources.karnataka.gov.in |
Major Dams in Karnataka
Tungabhadra Dam is recognized as the largest dam in Karnataka, built on the Tungabhadra river at Hospet. Another important one is Vani Vilasa Sagara, which is the oldest dam in the state and was built across the Vedavathi river. Almatti Dam on the Krishna river and Bhadra Dam on the Bhadra river are the other big names in the state.
Below is the dam wise list of Karnataka with the river and the location of each project.
| Dam/Reservoir | River | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Almatti Dam | Krishna | Basavana Bagevadi taluk, Bijapur district |
| Basava Sagara Dam (Narayanpur Dam) | Krishna | Narayanapur, Hunasagi taluk, Yadgir district |
| Raja Lakhamagowda Dam | Ghataprabha | Hidkal, Hukkeri taluk, Belgaum district |
| Renuka Sagara Dam | Malaprabha | Navilutheertha, Saundatti taluk, Belgaum district |
| Vani Vilasa Sagara | Vedavathi | Marikanive, Hiriyur Taluk, Chitradurga district |
| Upper Tunga Dam | Tunga | Gajanur, Shimoga |
| Bhadra Dam | Bhadra | Lakkavalli, Tarikere taluk, Chikmagaluru district |
| Tungabhadra Dam | Tungabhadra | Hospet, Vijayanagara district |
| Hemavathi Reservoir | Hemavathi | Gorur, Hassan district |
| Kabini Reservoir | Kabini | Heggadadevanakote Taluk, Mysore |
| Harangi Reservoir | Harangi | Hudgur, Somawarapete taluk, Kodagu district |
| Krishna Raja Sagara Dam | Kaveri | Mandya |
| Linganamakki Dam | Sharavathi | Linganamakki, Sagara Taluk, Shimoga district |
| Chakra Reservoir | Chakra | Chakra Nagar, Hosanagar Taluk, Shimoga |
| Savehaklu Reservoir | Chakra | Chakra Nagar, Hosanagar Taluk, Shimoga |
| Mani Reservoir | Varahi | Hummadagallu, Hosanagar Taluk, Shimoga |
| Supa Dam | Kali | Ganesha Gudi, Joida Taluk, Uttara Kannada district |
| Kodasalli Dam | Kali | Kodasalli, Joida Taluk, Uttara Kannada district |
| Kadra Dam | Kali | Virje Karwar Taluk, Uttara Kannada district |
| Shanti Sagara | Haridra | Kerebilchi, Channagiri taluk, Davanagere district |
| Karanja Dam | Karanja | Byalahalli, Bhalki taluk, Bidar district |
Dams Built on Main Rivers of Karnataka
Many people search for dams by river instead of by district. This helps students and travellers, because a single river often feeds a chain of dams one after the other. Krishna and Cauvery carry the biggest share of the state's dam network, and the west flowing rivers of Uttara Kannada district support the main hydroelectric projects.
- Krishna river has Almatti Dam, Basava Sagara Dam and the Narayanpur barrage system, which together irrigate large parts of north Karnataka.
- Tungabhadra river has Tungabhadra Dam at Hospet and Upper Tunga Dam at Gajanur, both linked to irrigation and power.
- Cauvery river has Krishna Raja Sagara Dam at Mandya, Hemavathi Reservoir at Gorur, Kabini Reservoir in Mysore and Harangi Reservoir in Kodagu district.
- Kali river has Supa Dam, Kodasalli Dam and Kadra Dam, all built mainly for hydroelectric power in Uttara Kannada district.
- Sharavathi and Varahi rivers have Linganamakki Dam, Mani Reservoir, Chakra Reservoir and Savehaklu Reservoir in Shimoga district.
How to Check Dam Details on Official Portal
Water Resources Department, Karnataka publishes a project wise table with basin, sub basin and category for each dam. Every project name opens a PDF with the full salient features, so you can check capacity, height, length and number of gates without visiting any office.
STEP 1 - Open the official website at waterresources.karnataka.gov.in and pick the English version from the top of the page.
STEP 2 - Go to the Services and Schemes menu and click on Salient Features of Major and Medium Irrigation Projects.
STEP 3 - A table opens with the project name, zone, organisation, basin, sub basin, type and category. Find the dam you need, such as Almatti, Bhadra, Harangi, Kabini or Tungabhadra.
STEP 4 - Click the project name. A PDF opens with the full salient features of that dam, including storage capacity, reservoir level and dam type.
STEP 5 - Download or print the PDF and keep it for your records. The same page also lists barrages and tanks, so check the type column before you pick a name.
Official Links for Karnataka Dam List
The project table and dam wise PDFs are hosted on the state portal only. You can open the salient features of major and medium irrigation projects page for the full list, and the department home page at Water Resources Department, Karnataka for notifications and reports. The earlier India-WRIS wiki page for Karnataka dams is not loading now, so use the state portal instead.
Read next: Karnataka district list and Karnataka voter list PDF, both of which carry district wise details that help you locate the area around any dam in the state.