Jawai Dam

Jawai Bandh (जवाई बान्ध) is a dam built across the Jawai river, a tributary of Luni river. With the same name, a village also situated near to the dam and a railway station on Ajmer-Ahmedabad route. It comes under Sumerpur Tehsil of Pali district in Rajasthan.

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Geography and History

The dam is situated near Sumerpur town in Pali District of Rajasthan state in India. The dam was built by Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur. the work started on 12 May 1946 and it got completed in 1957. Total expenditure was Rupees 2 crore 7 Lakhs. This village covers an area of 500 km². This is the biggest dam in the western Rajasthan. The dam has capacity of 7887.5 million cubic feet and covers an area of 102,315 acres (414.05 km²) of cultivable command area.^[2] Its height is about 61.25 feet (18.67 m). Sei dam and Kalibor dam are the feeder dams of the Jawai dam.

Besides being a Winter paradise for migratory birds,^[3] it is the main water supply source for Jodhpur city and parts of Pali district. If there is sufficient water in the dam, then some villages of Jalore district and Pali district get water for irrigation from the Jawai dam, which was the main aim in making this dam.^{[4]
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Flora and fauna

Jawai Dam Crocodile Sanctuary with Indian & Migratory birds & Kambeshwar Ji leopard sanctuary situated nearby.

One can see sarus cranes, comb duck, spotbill duck in the dam. During the winter, demmossile, common eastern crane, barheaded geese and migrating birds descent on the water. Crocodiles bask on the dam shores.

There are panther, Bear, Hyena, Wolf, Nilgai and Chinkara in the hills around Jawai dam. Sometimes one can see Jackals and Jungle cats drinking water at the dam.

References