The major dams of Himachal Pradesh have been constructed with the purpose of flood control and hydel power generation. The important dams of the state of Himachal Pradesh are namely the Bhakra Dam, the Pandoh Dam, Nathpa Dam, Chamera Dam, Gobind Sagar Reservoir and the Maharana Pratap Sagar Reservoir.

The Bhakra Dam is the most important dam in Himachal Pradesh. However it benefits three Indian states, namely Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. This project received its name from the two dams Bhakra and Sutlej, built on a tributary of the Indus River, the Sutlej. Gobind Sagar is a man-made reservoir on the Sutlej River. This dam is situated in Bilaspur District of Himachal Pradesh. This huge hydel dam at Bhakra has been named in honor of Guru Gobind Singh, who was the tenth Sikh guru.

Maharana Pratap Sagar reservoir is located in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. The lake is named in memory of the great warrior Maharana Pratap Singh.

Pandoh Dam is a diversion dam on the Beas River at Pandoh in Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh. The dam stands about 21 kilometer east of Mandi on the Mandi Kullu Road. The Pandoh Dam is earth cum rock filled, with a height of 76 meter and generates 165 MW of power. There are five bays established for regulating the flow of water.

The Chamera Dam has been constructed on Ravi River in the Chambha District of Himachal Pradesh. The first phase of the dam generates around 540 MWs of electricity and it is expected that the second phase will generate around 300 MW of electricity.

The dam is located at about 892 meters above the sea level and is 36 kilometers away from the site. The dam has high water level fluctuations from April to June. The temperature goes down as much as 19 degrees centigrade in and around the Chamera Dam. During the months of December the temperature goes below zero degrees centigrade. The catchment area of the lake encompasses around 472.5 square kilometers and the area has a power house which has 3 units supplying around 180 MWs of power each. The tourists come to the Chamera Lake, primarily to enjoy the beautiful crystal clear water at Chamera Lake and the variety of water sports which are an integral part of the lake area.

The Nathpa Dam of Himachal Pradesh is mainly used to store water for generation of hydro electric power. The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam is sponsoring this hydroelectric venture at Nathpa Dam. It is declared as a run-of-the-river project because of its incapability to meet the compulsory peaking power requirement.