Panchet & Maithon

The Damodar river, which flows through 25,000 square kilometers of the states of West Bengal and Bihar (now known as Jharkhand), has caused flooding and destruction the Damodar Valley for hundreds of years.
The most serious and recent of these floods was in 1943, and prompted action from the governor of Bengal.

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) was established in 1948 as the result of an agreement between and subsequent legislature (the Damodar Valley Corporation Act) passed by the central government and the state governments of West Bengal and Bihar.


The act detailed a river valley project aimed at simultaneously achieving flood control, irrigation and power generation.

Panchet and Maithon are the locations of two dams constructed as part of this project, and are located a few hours train ride northwest of Calcutta. They're also quite scenic.