In an agricultural country like ours, the farmers, while anxiously scanning the skies for the gathering monsoon clouds which will bring welcome showers to the pareched land, cast wistful glances at he rivers, occssionally in turbulentrush to meet the sea but frequently flowing placidly on their endless journey. The attempts to harness the rivers for irrigation go centuries back to the 2nd Century A.D. when the Grand Anicut across the river Kaveri in Tamil Nadu was built. Still in good repair, this masonry weir on sand foundation is serving nearly half a million hectares.

Another pioneer of storage structure on rivers in the South, Sir Arthur Cotton constructed the Godavari Anicut in 1853. During the last quarter of the last century three large dams, the 60 meters high KhadakvasalaDam (completed in 1879) and the 53 meter high Periyar Dam (completed in 1887) and 41 meter high Tansa Dam (completed in 1897) brought into its own the large storage structures on rivers for irrigation purposes. During the first half of this century, there were hardly 30 dams of 30 meter or more in height.

However, since 1947 more than 270 dams of height of 30 meter or more were taken up and out of them 167 have been completed. Some of the notable large dams are Bhakra, Nagarjunasagar, Hirakud, Rihand, Tungabhadra, Gandhisagar, Ranapratapsagar, Damoder Valley dams, etc. In 1928 an international non-governmental organisation called the International Commission on Large Dams was set up to facilitate exchange of information and experience on planning, designing, constructing and maintaining large dams. The Commission, comprising 71 member-States at present, functions through the national committees of the participating countries. The Central Board of Irrigation & Power under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation functions as the Indian National Committee. The 13th Congress of the Commission being held in New Delhi from 29 October to 2 November 1979 marks the Golden Jubilee of the International Commission on large Dams (ICOLD).

Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department is happy to commemorate the Golden Jubilee Congress of the ICOLD byissuing a special postage stamp.

Source : Information Folder issued by Indian Posts & Telegraph Department, Government of India