Bhushi Dam

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Bhushi Dam
Bhushi Dam.JPG
Tourists gather around the dam.
India Maharashtra location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of Bhushi Dam in Maharashtra
Location Lonavala, Maharashtra, India
Coordinates 18°43′21.86″N73°23′47.26″E / 18.7227389°N 73.3964611°E / 18.7227389; 73.3964611 Coordinates: 18°43′21.86″N73°23′47.26″E / 18.7227389°N 73.3964611°E / 18.7227389; 73.3964611
Opening date1860s [1]
Owner(s) Central Railway
Dam and spillways
Impounds Indrayani River

The Bhushi Dam is a masonry dam on the Indrayani River in Lonavala, Maharashtra, India. [2] In 2014, the Indian Railways announced plans to develop Bhushi Dam as a tourist resort with participation from the private sector. [3]

Masonry dams are dams made out of masonry – mainly stone and brick, sometimes joined with mortar. They are either the gravity or the arch-gravity type. The largest masonry dam in the World is Nagarjunasagar Dam in India.

Indrayani River river in India

The Indrayani river originates in Kurvande village near Lonavla, a hill station in the Sahyadri mountains of Maharashtra. Fed by rain, it flows east from there to meet the Bhima river, through the Hindu pilgrimage centers of Dehu and Alandi. It follows a course mostly north of the city of Pune It is revered as a holy river and is associated with such great religious figures such as Sant Tukaram and Dnyaneshwar.

Maharashtra State in western India

Maharashtra is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan plateau. It is the second-most populous state and third-largest state by area in India. Spread over 307,713 km2 (118,809 sq mi), it is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana and Chhattisgarh to the east, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to the north, and the Indian union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the north west. It is also the world's second-most populous subnational entity.

Contents

Bhushi reservoir Bhushi dam.JPG
Bhushi reservoir

History

The dam was built in the late 1860s for the Great Indian Peninsular Railway as a source of water for their steam engines. [1] As of 2014 it is owned by the Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways, the successor to the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. [1]

Indian Railways Indian state-owned enterprise, owned and operated by the Government of India

Indian Railways (IR) is India's national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways. It manages the fourth largest railway network in the world by size, with 69,182-kilometre (42,988 mi) route as of April 2019. Routes are electrified with 25 kV AC electric traction while thirty three percent of them are double or multi-tracked.

Water was carried from the reservoir to Lonavala, Khandala and the reversing station of the railways by cast-iron pipes. The Railway company later agreed to supply some water to the town of Lonavala as well, because the dam had been built using Municipal funding. [2]

Khandala Hill station in Maharashtra, India

Khandala is a hill station in the Western Ghats in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from Lonavala, 12 kilometres from Khopoli and 33.4 kilometres (20.8 mi) from Karjat.

In 2011, the Indian Navy proposed to take over the Bhushi dam and Bhugaon lake for its training activities at the Indian Naval Station Shivaji which is located in the vicinity. The Lonavala Police stated that such a move would restrict the access of the public to the dam. [4]

Indian Navy maritime warfare branch of Indias military

The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy.

In 2012, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) proposed to construct a 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) long tunnel along the Mumbai Pune Expressway which would pass right below the Bhushi dam. [5]

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited, commonly abbreviated as MSRDC, is an Indian Public limited company fully owned by the Government of Maharashtra. MSRDC was established on July 9, 1996 and incorporated as a public limited company under the Companies Act 1956 on August 2, 1996. It is responsible for developing, building and maintaining roads in Maharashtra.

Mumbai Pune Expressway road in India

The Pune Mumbai Expressway is India's first six-lane concrete, high-speed, access controlled tolled expressway. It spans a distance of 94.5 km connecting Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra state and the financial capital of India, with Pune, the cultural capital of Maharashtra and an industrial and educational hub. The expressway, which was fully operationalized in 2002, introduced new levels of speed and safety in automobile transportation to Indian roads. It is one of India's busiest roads.

Accidents

The Bhushi Dam frequently sees cases of drowning. A 2012 report stated that as many as 25 people had died in a five-year period. [6]

In order to bring down these accidents, the Lonavala Police and the railways set up a control room near the dam, as well as imposed a ban on consumption of liquor in areas surrounding the dam. [7] Subsequently, vehicles were banned from entering the area after 3 pm and visitors were prohibited from entering the dam and the surrounding areas after 5 pm. [8]

Tourists are usually allowed to visit the dam from 9 am up to 3 pm. Except local buses, all other buses are banned from entering the area. [9]

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Lonavla Hill station in Maharashtra, India

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Mula River (India) river in India

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Pune is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. Pune City Central is the District Headquarters. The district's population was 9,426,959 in the 2011 census, the fourth-most-populous of India's 640 districts. Its urban population is 58.08 percent of its total population; the population of the Pune urban area is over five million.

Deccan Queen Indian expresss train between Pune and Mumbai

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Pavananagar is a village near Pavana Dam. It is about 45 km via Paud and 65 km via Kamshet from Pune. There are roads to Pavananagar from Pune & Lonavla. Lonavla to Pavana Dam is 20 km; 40 minutes journey from lonavla.

  1. Lonavla → Bhangarwadi → Kusgaon → Aundh Gaon → Dudhivarekhind → Prati Pandharpur → Pavana Dam
  2. Pune → Pirangut → Paud → Kolvan → Pavana Dam → Pavananagar.
  3. Pune → Nigdi → Kamshet → Bedsa → Pavananagar.
Malavli City in Maharashtra, India

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Lonavala railway station

Lonavala station or Lonavala railway station is a train station in Lonavla town, a hill station in the state of Maharashtra in India. Lonavala station is the origin of Lonavala – Pune Suburban Trains. 17 suburban trains operate on the Pune – Lonavala route. Lonavla is also a halt for Mumbai – Pune Express and Mail trains. The Karjat – Pune passenger train also has a halt at Lonavala. Trains traveling on the Kalyan – Pune route also halt at Lonavala. This station leads access to Lonavala town and nearby areas like Karla Caves, Bhaja Caves, Lohagad, Visapur Fort, Bhushi Dam and Bor Ghat. Khandala hill station is just 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Lonavla.

The Bhusawal–Kalyan section is part of the Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line and Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line. It connects Bhusawal and Kalyan both in the Indian state of Maharashtra. One of the branch lines, Jalgaon-Surat line, runs partly in Gujarat.

The Mumbai Dadar–Solapur section is part of the Mumbai-Chennai line. It connects Mumbai Dadar and Solapur both in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Solapur railway station

Solapur railway station is located in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra and serves Solapur city and the industrial belt around it. It is headquarters of Solapur Railway Division and a part of Central Railway zone. It is the 4th cleanest railway station in India ranked A-1 among 500 main stations in India

Mumbai–Pune Mail

Mumbai-Pune Mail or Poona Mail was a luxurious train on Mumbai-Pune section by the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. It was the first intercity train started between Mumbai and Pune. This train and the famous Deccan Queen Express used to serve Mumbai Pune commuters for many years. Later this train was extended to Kolhapur and was renamed Sahyadri Express. This train was believed to carry Royal Mail and was one of the finest trains in British Empire.

Devkund Waterfall

Devkund Falls is a waterfall located near Bhira, in Raigad district, India. It is a 'plunge' waterfall pouring massive amounts of water on the rocky surface underneath. It is a popular spot for one day picnics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rain spreads cheer in Pune and Pimpri, tourists throng Bhushi dam". The Indian Express . 17 July 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency - Poona - Chapter VI - Trade - Communication - Railway". Bombay: Gazetteer Department, Government of Maharashtra. 1885. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Umbrajkar, Manish (17 July 2014). "Bhushi dam area may get a holiday resort". The Times of India . Pune. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Urunkar, Salil (20 July 2011). "Navy's plan will ruin your Bhushi dam party". Mid Day . Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Tembhekar, Chitaranjan (25 February 2012). "Straighter new route to cut travel time by half an hour". The Times of India . Mumbai. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  6. ↑ "Bhushi dam: 25 deaths in 5 years". The Indian Express . Lonavala. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Deshmukh, Chaitraly (19 June 2014). "A must read for those planning to visit Lonavla". Daily News and Analysis . Pune. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  8. ↑ "No revellers at Bhushi dam site after 5pm: Cops". The Times of India . Pune. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "Ban on vehicles going towards Bhushi dam". The Times of India . Pune. Times News Network. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
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