Due to the war, the dam wasn't finished until 1950. When it was finished, they had created a lake that was 72 ft deep and unified two other natural lakes in the area. The consequence was that 163 homes, and 523 hectares of cultivated land were lost! The most fascinating part about this is that you can still see the highest point of the town (a church tower) in the middle of the lake. You can even walk to it during the winter!
A big lake is forming around the ruins as bewildered residents of Old Tehri gather at surrounding hills to pay last tributes to their town. “We can only mourn for our dying town,” said a despairing Shashi Chamoli, a mother of three, whose house has already sunk into the deep waters of Bhagirathi. And others, who had been settled in and around Dehra Dun, are pouring out their grief by taking out candle-light marches.
