Kharkhara Dam | Places to visit in Bhilai
The Kharkhara dam is located 8 km west of Sambalpur village in Dondilohara tehsil of Balod district. In order to reach the dam, you have to take 3 km of paved road and 5 km of WBM road.
The construction of the kharkhara dam was completed in 1964. Kharkhara dam was constructed to supply 4 TMC of water to Bhilai Steel Plant. The reservoir’s waterlogging capacity is 171.63 million cubic meters and it irrigates 18,944 hectares, supplies water to Durg and Bhilai Municipal Corporation, and Bhilai Steel Plant.
In 1975, plans were made to provide 12,145 hectares, 4048 hectares, and 2024 hectare irrigation facility to the farmers of Dondilohra block, Balod development block, and Gundardehi block of Balod district, from Kharkhara reservoir project to Kharkhara Mohandipat project, Right bank canal and left bank canal. So that the remaining one TMC water can be used for irrigation work.
Presently, an irrigation facility of 18,219 hectares is being provided from the Kharkhara reservoir.
Well, that was all about the history and architecture of Kharkhara dam now let’s talk about the fun part, What can a traveler like you and me do there? let’s find out!
Cheat Sheet
Description | Details |
---|---|
Distance | 82 KM From Bhilai City |
Time Taken | 1h 49 Min (one way) |
Travel Mode | Car Or Bike |
Road Condition | Average |
Best Season | Winter and Summer |
Best Time | 7 AM To 4 PM |
Toll Charges | No Tolls |
Pitstop | Yes |
Entry Fees | ₹0 |
Safety | 100% |
Parking | Yes |
Washroom | No |
Activities | Picnic and Sightseeing |
Stay | Not Available |
Distance
There are two different paths among which you can choose among
- Nandgaon Rd and Arjunda Bhandera road
- Dalli-Rajhara Rd/Durg Rajhara road
I will suggest you take the Rajnandgaon Dalli Rajhara Rd which is in really good condition covered with paddy fields on both sides of the road.
Time Taken
It will take you around 2 hours to reach the kharkhara dam, there will be few villages on the way but the traffic is really less and you will reach the destination in 2 hours.
Travel Mode
We choose to go by car rather than a bike because it was the summer season and it was really hot so we didn’t want to burn ourselves and get dehydrated. Also i do travel with a lot of camera equipment so it helps when you have a car.
Road Condition
The road is a bit bumpy when you are just about to reach the kharkhara dam as you can see in the clip below.
Other than that road condition is really good and you can easily take the car or bike.
Best Season
The best season to visit kharkhara dam is definitely winter but if you want to take a dip in the fresh and cool water of the canal then the summer season will be the best one. Also, you can have a picnic under the Big Banyan tree which is just located near the canal.
Best Time
The Dam is located on the outskirts of the city so it’s kind of remote so I will suggest you visit in the afternoon time. Try to for leave for kharkhara dam before 7:00 a.m. and then you can easily return before 4:00 p.m.
Toll Charges
You will not find any toll gates on the way to kharkhara dam. You can enjoy a toll-free road on the journey.
Pitstop
You will find several petrol pumps on the way along with the shops like these in villages where you can enjoy the hot and piping delicacies like aalo bonda
Entry Fees
The entry is free and you can take your car or bike without paying any charges.
Safety
The place is safe you can easily visit your kids with your friends with your family but I will suggest leaving before the sunset as it is located on the outskirts and the main city is few kilometers away.
Parking
There is ample space to park vehicles the best one which I found was this Banyan tree which was just located near the canal we will able to park are there and after that also there was so much space left.
Washroom
Well, you cannot do anything about this that is no place where you can go when you get the nature’s call you can do it under the tree.
Activities
You can do a picnic, sightseeing or you can take a dip in the fresh and cool water in the canal. The dam is extremely deep so make sure you take a dip only if you know how to swim.
Keep in mind the water flow is extremely high in the canal but in the summer season, so you can just be at the side of the water canal and you can take bath
But make sure you are not alone your kids to go alone in their otherwise they will be in danger.
Stay
There is no option to stay nearby there are two villages but I don’t think you can stay there so better to leave early and come early from there.
Watch the full episode on YouTube
Special thanks to Tanvir Khan for providing me information about Kharkhara Dam. You can visit his Instagram profile here @balodct