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

DescriptionDetails
Distance82 KM From Bhilai City
Time Taken1h 49 Min (one way)
Travel ModeCar Or Bike
Road ConditionAverage
Best SeasonWinter and Summer
Best Time7 AM To 4 PM
Toll ChargesNo Tolls
PitstopYes
Entry Fees₹0
Safety100%
ParkingYes
WashroomNo
ActivitiesPicnic and Sightseeing
StayNot 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.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvTJeENHtz4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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

kharkhara dam pitstop-the local guide

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.

kharkhara dam parking space

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.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvIwTa1nSh0/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvO5sztnMQm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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