Upper Dam

Overview
Dam

Visiting Upper Dam

The Upper Dam holds the higher of the two reservoirs of the Purulia Pumped Storage Project, the 900 MW hydroelectric plant built into the Ajodhya Hills between 2002 and 2007. A road runs along the top of its rock-fill embankment, with a wide sheet of water on one side and dense forest on the other, and it has become a popular picnic stop on the hill circuit.

The plant works by moving the same water back and forth between two reservoirs at different heights. When demand for electricity is low, surplus power pumps water up from the Lower Dam into this one; at peak hours it runs back down through four reversible 225 MW turbines in an underground power house. WBSEDCL, which owns and runs the plant, says it can start generating within five minutes and calls it India's first closed-loop pumped storage scheme.

Both dams are rock-fill embankments with a central clay core. This reservoir is designed to rise and fall between about 494 m and 516 m above sea level, so the water line shifts as the plant pumps and generates. It holds about 13 million cubic metres of usable water from a catchment of 9.5 sq km, and a 2023 field study put its surface at roughly one square kilometre, the largest of the lakes it surveyed in the hills.

The water itself comes from the Kistobazar nala, a seasonal stream that the dam impounds; before the project it flowed on through the hills to an older irrigation dam downstream. A hill-top resident who works in tourism told Sangbad Pratidin that the water of the sacred spring at Sita Kund also finds its way into the Upper Dam.

Past & present
History & stories

The story of Upper Dam

The scheme was meant to be commissioned in 2002–03, but litigation at the tender stage and the time taken to clear forest land held it up. Main work began in May 2002 and was completed on 17 December 2007, just ahead of the scheduled date. Of about ₹2,476 crore spent by 2016, some ₹2,272 crore came as a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The four units were commissioned between October 2007 and February 2008, and the then chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, formally inaugurated the project on 6 April 2008. It took about 442 hectares of land, 373 of them forest. Villagers protested at the loss of trees and livelihoods, and the hills lie on the Dalma elephant corridor; local people told Mongabay that elephants now come this way less often because the dams block their path.

The plant's quick response has been tested in public. On 5 April 2020, when lights across India were switched off for nine minutes, it absorbed a drop of about 700 MW by ramping its output down to zero. WBSEDCL has since invited bids for a floating solar plant on the Upper Dam reservoir: 10 MW in 2022 and 6 MW in 2025.

When you're there
See & do

Things to see and do

01
Drive or walk the embankment
A long road runs along the top of the dam, with the reservoir spread out on one side and dense forest on the other.
02
See both halves of the scheme
The Lower Dam, about 300 m above sea level, lies a few kilometres further along the same road. The rated head between the two reservoirs, the drop that drives the turbines, is 177 m.
03
Picnic, but take the litter home
The dam has turned into a picnic spot, a local resident told Mongabay in 2019, and plastic left behind is eaten by village livestock, which fall ill.
04
Carry on to the hill top
Ajodhya hill top is about 6 km up the road, with Sita Kund, the Ram Mandir and Mayur Pahar close to it.

Gallery
Photos

Upper Dam in pictures

Photos coming soon

We're putting together our own photographs of Upper Dam. Been there with us? We'd love to see yours.

Getting there
From Rangamati

Where it lies

Upper Dam is 16 km by road from the resort, to the north-east. A local guide, sightseeing cab or driver can be arranged on request.

The drive: The usual route runs north from the resort on SH4 to Baghmundi, then east into the hills past Thurga Dam, following the project road past the Lower Dam and the Lahariya temple before climbing to the upper reservoir. The Upper Dam can also be reached from Ajodhya hill top, about 6 km away on the same road.
The last stretch: The road runs onto the embankment itself, so there is no walk to speak of; cars usually pull in along the top for the view.

Open in Google Maps

Rings show straight-line distance from the resort; the road is longer.

Before you go

Safety: This is a working reservoir whose level is designed to move by up to about 22 m as the plant runs. Stay on the road, keep away from the water's edge and follow any instructions from WBSEDCL staff.
Getting around: A 2023 study of access for elderly and disabled visitors gave the Upper Dam the top score for ease of access, a score shared by only a handful of sites in the hills.

Through the year
Seasons & festivals

When to go

Summer
March – June
Hot and dry from April, as across the district. In spring the palash trees in the surrounding forest flower red.
Monsoon
July – September
Most of the year's rain falls between June and September, when the red earth and the forest around the reservoir turn green.
Winter
October – February
October to March is the main visiting season, cool and dry.

Good to know
Questions

Frequently asked questions

How far is the Upper Dam from Rangamati Eco Resort?

About 16 km by road, north to Baghmundi and then up into the Ajodhya Hills. The resort can arrange a sightseeing cab, driver or guide on request.

Is there an entry fee?

We could not find any published entry fee or visiting hours. The dam is part of a working power project run by WBSEDCL, so access can depend on the operator's rules on the day.

Why does the water level change?

The plant pumps water up into this reservoir with surplus off-peak power and lets it run down through the turbines at peak hours, so the level is designed to move between about 494 m and 516 m above sea level.

How is it different from the Lower Dam?

They are the two halves of one scheme. The Upper Dam, at about 495 m above sea level, stores the water; it runs through the underground power house to the Lower Dam, at about 300 m, and is later pumped back up.

Can it be combined with other places?

Yes. It lies on the road between the Lower Dam and Ajodhya hill top, about 6 km from the top, so Sita Kund, Mayur Pahar and Marble Lake fit easily into the same day.

Is it suitable for elderly visitors?

Largely, yes. A 2023 accessibility study rated it among the easiest sites in the hills to reach, since cars can drive along the top of the dam.