Parambikulam Dam പറമ്പിക്കുളം അണക്കെട്ട് | |
---|---|
Country | India |
Location | Kerala |
Coordinates | 10°22′40″N76°45′51″E / 10.37778°N 76.76417°E |
Owner(s) | Kerala [1] [2] |
Operator(s) | Tamil Nadu [1] [2] |
Dam and spillways | |
Type of dam | Embankment dam |
Impounds | Parambikulam River |
Reservoir | |
Total capacity | 69,165,000 m3 (56,073 acre⋅ft) |
Parambikulam Dam is an embankment dam on the Parambikulam River, [3] Parambikulam located in the Palakkad district in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, ranks number one in India as well as in the top ten embankment dams in the world in volume in the year 2000. [4]
This Dam was built at the time of Kamarajar. This is one of the Major irrigation schemes were planned in Kamaraj's period . The other projects are Lower Bhavani, Krishnagiri, Mani Muthuar, Cauvery delta, Aarani River, Vaigai Dam, Amravathi, Sathanur, Pullambadi, and Neyaru Dams. The dam is operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu but the ownership rests with Kerala, [1] [2] Per the agreement with Tamil Nadu, Kerala was supposed to receive 7.25 TMC feet of water per year from the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project of which the Parambikulam Dam is a part. In 2004, Kerala did not receive any water after February 10, resulting in the drying up of paddy in thousands of acres in Chittur taluk. [5] Since this agreement has still not been met as of July 2006, Kerala Water Resources Minister has called for a review of the project agreement. [6]
On 17 October 2012, Kerala and Tamil Nadu reached an accord on Parambikulam-Aliyar water. [7]
The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri mountain range, is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. It contains a very large proportion of the country's flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to this region. The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain called the Western Coastal Plains along the Arabian Sea. A total of 39 areas in the Western Ghats, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests, were designated as world heritage sites in 2012 – twenty of them in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, six in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.
Periyar, IPA:[peɾijɐːr], is the longest river and the river with the largest discharge potential in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the few perennial rivers in the region and provides drinking water for several major towns. The Periyar is of utmost significance to the economy of Kerala. It generates a significant proportion of Kerala's electrical power via the Idukki Dam and flows along a region of industrial and commercial activity. The river also provides water for irrigation and domestic use throughout its course besides supporting a rich fishery. Due to these reasons, the river has been named the "Lifeline of Kerala". Kochi city, in the vicinity of the river mouth, draws its water supply from Aluva, an upstream site sufficiently free of seawater intrusion. Twenty five percent of Kerala's industries are along the banks of the Periyar. These are mostly crowded within a stretch of 5 kilometres (3 mi) in the Eloor-Edayar region (Udhyogamandal), about 10 kilometres (6 mi) north of Kochi harbor.
The Anamala or Anaimalai, also known as the Elephant Mountains, are a range of mountains in the southern Western Ghats of central Kerala and span the border of western Tamil Nadu in Southern India. The name anamala is derived from the Malayalam word aana and the Tamil word yaanai, meaning elephant, or from tribal languages. Mala or Malai means 'mountain', and thus literally translatable as 'Elephant mountain'.
Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park and as Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi and Valparai taluks of Coimbatore District and Udumalaipettai taluk in Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu, India. The Tamil Nadu Environment and Forests Department by a notification dated 27 June 2007, declared an extent of 958.59 km2 that encompassed the erstwhile IGWLS&NP or Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, as Anaimalai Tiger Reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Reserve presently includes a core area of 958.59 km2 and buffer/peripheral area of 521.28 km2 forming a total area of 1479.87 km2.
Chalakudy River or Chalakudy Puzha is the fifth longest river in Kerala, India. The river flows through Thrissur district, Palakkad district and Ernakulam district of Kerala. The total drainage area of the river is 1704 km2. Out of this,1404 km2 lies in Kerala and the rest in Tamil Nadu. The length of the river is 145.5 km. Though Chalakudy River in strict geological sense is a tributary of the Periyar river, for all practical purposes it is treated as a separate river by Government and other agencies. The river has gained its name since it flows along the banks of the Chalakudy Town, the major settlement along the course of the river. It is perhaps the most unpolluted and pristine river in the state and even in India due to the limited amount of industries and wastage disposal around it. Chalakudy River and its basin area were one of the most affected rivers during the 2018 Kerala floods.
Coimbatore district is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. Coimbatore is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is one of the most industrialized districts and a major textile, industrial, commercial, educational, information technology, healthcare and manufacturing hub of Tamil Nadu. The region is bounded by Tiruppur district in the east, Nilgiris district in the north, Erode district in the northeast, Palakkad district, Idukki district and small parts of Thrissur district and Ernakulam district of neighboring state of Kerala in the west and south respectively. As of 2011, Coimbatore district had a population of 3,458,045 with a sex ratio of 1,000 and literacy rate of 84%.
Pollachi is a town and a taluk headquarters in Tamil Nadu state, India. Located about 40 km (25 mi) to the south of Coimbatore, it is the second largest town in the district after Coimbatore. Pollachi is a popular marketplace for jaggery, vegetables and cattle. As of 2011, the town had a population of 90,180. Another name for Pollachi is "Mother of Nature".
Valparai is a Taluk and hill station in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It consists of Anamalai Tiger Reserve. It is located 3,474 feet (1,059 m) above sea level on the Anaimalai Hills range of the Western Ghats. There are a total of 56 estates here. The game of football is very popular here. State level competitions are held every year. The foothill starts exactly from Monkey Falls which is at a distance of 38 kilometres (24 mi) to Valparai. The route to Valparai from the foothills consists of 40 hairpin bends. The Kerala state border town of Malakkappara is at a distance of 27 kilometres from Valparai. While major portions of the land are owned by private tea companies, large forest areas continue to be out of bounds.
The sharing of waters of the Kaveri River has been the source of a serious conflict between the two Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The genesis of this conflict rests in two agreements in 1892 and 1924 between the Madras Presidency and Kingdom of Mysore. The 802 kilometres (498 mi) Kaveri river has 44,000 km2 basin area in Tamil Nadu and 32,000 km2 basin area in Karnataka. The annual inflow from Karnataka is 425 TMCft (12 km3) whereas that from Tamil Nadu is 252 TMCft (7.1 km3).
Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River of Idukki district of Indian state of Kerala. It is situated 150km south east of Kochi. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above the sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by John Pennycuick and also reached in an agreement to divert water eastwards to the Madras Presidency area. It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation, and a length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft). The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir. The dam is built at the confluence of Mullayar and Periyar rivers. The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar, but is operated and maintained by the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Although the Periyar River has a total catchment area of 5398 km2 with 114 km2 downstream from the dam in Tamil Nadu, the catchment area of the Mullaperiyar Dam itself lies entirely in Kerala and thus not an inter-State river. On 21 November 2014, the water level hit 142 feet for first time in 35 years. The reservoir again hit the maximum limit of 142 feet on 15 August 2018, following incessant rains in the state of Kerala. In a UN report published in 2021, the dam was identified as one among the world's big dams which needs to be decommissioned for being 'situated in a seismically active area with significant structural flaws and poses risk to 3.5 million people if the 100+ years old dam were to fail'.
Parambikulam River is one of four tributaries of the Chalakkudi River, originating in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It flows parallel to and north of the Sholayar River before joining Kuriarkutty. The Sholayar River flows for 44.8 km, then turns north and joins the Parambikulam River 1.6 km before Orukumbankutty. The Karapara River originates from the Nelliyampathy Hills of Palakkad district in Kerala. It flows west and turns southwest and drains into the Parambikulam River at Orukumbankutty.
Aliyar ( Reservoir is a 6.48 km2 reservoir located in Aliyar village near Pollachi town in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, South India. The dam is located in the foothills of Valparai, in the Anaimalai Hills of the Western Ghats. It is about 65 kilometres from Coimbatore. The dam offers some ideal getaways including a park, garden, aquarium, play area and a mini Theme-Park maintained by Tamil Nadu Fisheries Corporation for visitors enjoyment. The scenery is beautiful, with mountains surrounding three quarters of the reservoir. Boating is also available.
Solaiyar Dam, Upper Solaiyar Dam or Upper Sholayar Dam is located 20 km (12 mi) from Valparai, a hill station in the Anaimalai Hills of the Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu India. As it is a part of the hydroelectric project of Tamil Nadu, special permission is required to visit the dam.
Sholayar Dam is a concrete dam built across the Chalakkudi River in Malakkappara in Thrissur district, Kerala of India. The dam consists of main Sholayar Dam, Sholayar Flanking and Sholayar Saddle Dam. It also contains Sholayar Hydro Electric Power Project of KSEB who owns the dam. Total installed capacity of the project is 54MW with 3 penstock pipes. The maximum storage capacity is 2663 feet. Sholayar is 65 km from Chalakudy town. The dam above Sholayar dam was Upper Solaiyar Dam owned by Tamil Nadu.
Sathanur Dam which forms the Sathanur reservoir, is one of the major dams in Tamil Nadu. It is constructed across the Thenpennai River also called as Pennaiyar River in Thandarampet taluk among Chennakesava Hills. The dam can be reached by road 30 km (19 mi) from Tiruvannamalai City. It was constructed in 1958. There is also a large crocodile farm and a fish grotto. Parks are maintained inside the dam for tourists to visit and the gardens have been used by the film industry.
The Siruvani River is a river near Coimbatore, India. It is a tributary of Bhavani river, which in turn is a tributary of Kaveri. Part of the Siruvani River is near Mannarkkad in the Indian District of Palakkad, Kerala. The river leads into two big tourist attractions in Southern India, namely, the Siruvani Dam and the Siruvani Waterfalls. The dam is also near The Banan Fort. Banan Fort and the Siruvani Dam, are 15 to 25 kilometres west of Coimbatore city. The river has a village named after it, or possibly vice versa.
Bharathappuzha, also known as the Nila or Ponnani River, is a river in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second longest river that flows through Kerala after the Periyar. It flows through Palakkad Gap, which is also the largest opening in the Kerala portion of Western Ghats. Nila has groomed the culture and life of South Malabar part of Kerala. It is also referred to as "Peraar" in ancient scripts and documents. River Bharathapuzha is an interstate river and lifeline water source for a population residing in four administrative districts, namely Malappuram and Palakkad districts, and parts of Palakkad-Thrissur district border of Kerala and Coimbatore, and Tiruppur of Tamil Nadu. The fertile Thrissur-Ponnani Kole Wetlands lie on its bank.
Tamil Nadu-Kerala dam row is an ongoing row and the long legal battle between the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala about the Mullaperiyar Dam on the Periyar river. Although the 127-year-old Mullaperiyar dam is located in Kerala, it is operated by the government of Tamil Nadu which signed a 999-year lease agreement with the former British government to irrigate farmland on its side. The agreement was signed by the Secretary of Madras State under the British Raj and the King of Travancore. From several technical surveys conducted, Kerala states the old masonry dam built with lime surkhi mortar is structurally getting weaker and costly in leakage and massive cracks - shear maintenance in abutments above all poses a significant danger to an approximate 3 million people living in the region and that it needs to be rebuilt – a move opposed by Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu maintains that the endangered dam was repaired in 1979 and insists the dam's walls have been strengthened and that it can hold more water than the current level of 136 ft and also due to the fact it only takes around 25,000 INR per year payment for an estimated usage of water for 8000 acres per British oppression era lease, this does not include how many tmc feet could be shared which is also a blissful loophole in the Mullayar-"Periyar Lease Deed of 1886" that the government is unwilling to waive. In a 1998 affidavit, the Tamil Nadu government admitted that it drew around 21 tmc ft or 594636000000 L annually for around 230,000 acres. Although the Periyar River has a total catchment area of 5398 km2 with 114 km2 downstream from the dam in Tamil Nadu, the catchment area of Mullaperiyar Dam itself lies entirely in Kerala and thus its water source is not an inter-State river.
Thunakkadavu Dam is situated in Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala across Thoonakkadavu River, which is a tributary of Parambikulam River, in Palakkad district of Kerala, India. It is part of the Parambikulam-Aliyar Irrigation Project. It is in the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary in the Muthalamada panchayath.
Peruvaripallam Dam is an earth-filled embankment dam on the Peruvaripallam River in Palakkad district of Kerala, India. The dam's reservoir is connected to the nearby Thunacadavu Reservoir to the south by an open cut channel. It is part of the Parambikulam Aliyar (Irrigation) Project. The Parambikulam Dam is located to the south.