Mettur Dam
Encyclopedia
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
built in 1934.
It was constructed in a gorge, where the Kaveri River
Kaveri River
The Kaveri , also spelled Cauvery in English, is a large Indian river. The origin of the river is traditionally placed at Talakaveri, Kodagu in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, flows generally south and east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and across the southern Deccan plateau through the...
enters the plains. The dam is one of the oldest in India . It provides irrigation facilities to a part of Salem, the length of Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirappali and Thanjavur district for 271000 acre (109,669.9 ha) of farm land.
The total length of the dam is 1700 m (5,577.4 ft). The dam creates Stanley Reservoir
Stanley Reservoir
Stanley Reservoir is one of largest fishing reservoirs in South India . Its source of water is the River Kaveri , and the water is retained by the Mettur Dam, Tamil Nadu. Its total capacity is more than 90,000,000,000 cubic feet ....
. The Mettur Hydro Electrical power project is also quite large. The dam, the park, the major Hydro Electric power stations and hills on all sides make Mettur a tourist attraction
Tourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
. Upstream from the dam is Hogenakal Falls
Hogenakal Falls
-External links:***...
.
The government of India's water resources ministry site the Mettur dam is an old multipurpose project of the south Indian state (province) of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
across the Cauvery river. It irrigates 1310 sqkm of land each year. Its installed capacity for hydro-power generation is 32 MW.
The maximum level of the dam is 120 ft (36.6 m) and the maximum capacity is 93.4 tmc ft.
Water dispute
The Mettur Dam has received attention of the public during the recent past because of the Cauvery water dispute between the States of Tamil Nadu and KarnatakaKarnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. Consequent to building dams, including the Kabini Dam, across the Kaveri River in Karnataka, the Mettur Dam does not receive adequate water during lean seasons. Thus, the Dam nearly goes dry during certain parts of the year, when water is most needed by the farmers and general public of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This has created serious dispute and tension between the neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Tamil Nadu govt., the Supreme Court verdict and the cauvery tribunal have so far not been successful in making the Government of Karnataka release the due share or at least sufficient water to tide over distress periods for the Mettur Dam, or the lower riparian areas. Meanwhile, Kaveri Water Tribunal to solve the problem and the tribunal passed it verdict of 419 tmc to Tamil Nadu, 270 tmc to Karnataka, 50 tmc to Kerala and 7 tmc to Pondicherry.
This dam was built in line with KRS and the design was by Sir M Vishveswariah
See also
- Banasura Sagar DamBanasura Sagar DamBanasura Sagar Dam, which impounds the Karamanathodu tributary of the Kabini River, is part of the Indian Banasurasagar Project consisting of a dam and a canal project started in 1979...
- Stanley ReservoirStanley ReservoirStanley Reservoir is one of largest fishing reservoirs in South India . Its source of water is the River Kaveri , and the water is retained by the Mettur Dam, Tamil Nadu. Its total capacity is more than 90,000,000,000 cubic feet ....
- Krishna Raja SagaraKrishna Raja SagaraKrishna Raja Sagara , also popularly known as KRS , is the name of both a lake and the dam that causes it. For information about the settlement near the dam and reservoir, see Krishnarajasagara. The dam is across Kaveri River, in Mandya District near Mysore in Karnataka state, India...
- Grand AnicutGrand AnicutThe Grand Anicut, also known as the Kallanai , is an ancient dam built on the Kaveri River in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India.It was built by the Chola king Karikalan around the 2nd Century AD and is considered one of the oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world,...
- Kolathur Ealarimathikadu Dam