Ajwa dam is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

in Vadodara district,

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Sayaji Sarovar is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

formed by the dam. It is located about 10 miles east of the city of

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is a city situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district. The city is named for its abundance of banyan ...

Construction and function

It is an earthen

that was built early 20th century by the then ruler of Vadodara,

Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III Sayajirao Gaekwad III (born as Shrimant Gopalrao Gaekwad; 11 March 1863 – 6 February 1939) was the Maharaja of Baroda State from 1875 to 1939, and is remembered for reforming much of his state during his rule. He belonged to the royal ...

. Its main aim was to provide water to the residents of Vadodara. Although the population of

at that time was 100,000 it was the ruler's vision to build the reservoir three times larger. This reservoir has the ability to attend to the water requirements of about 300,000 people residing in the eastern parts of the city. The dam is about 5 km long. It can store water to the height of 211 feet above the sea level (its ''overflow level''). The floor of the reservoir is at around 196 feet. It is connected to the

Vishwamitri river Originating from Pavagadh in the Panchmahal District of Gujarat, the Vishwamitri River flows mainly through the west of the city of Vadodara. The name of this river is said to have been derived from the name of the great saint Vishwamitra. Two o ...

which flows through the city of Vadodara, so that excess water in event of floods is dispatched to this river. The reservoir has 62 gates. Sardar Sarovar's One Branch Canal Feed water during dry season whenever requires. The engineer of the dam was Jagannath Sadashiva Hate, also known as Shri Jagannath Sadashivji. When the reservoir is full, it is supposed to have a catchment area of something close to 195 square kilometers.

Nature conservation

Adjacent to the dam are the famous Ajwa gardens also called as Vrindavan Garden, which are an adaptation of the famous Vrindavan gardens located in

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

. It was very famous especially in the evenings for its coloured fountains and a musical fountain. But from 2019 onwards Vrindavan Garden turn into ATAPI Resort. The reservoir is home to some 340

crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

References

Dams in Gujarat Vadodara Dams completed in the 20th century 20th-century establishments in India Year of establishment missing 20th-century architecture in India {{India-dam-stub