Mettur Dam

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Mettur Dam
Impounds Kaveri River
Creates Stanley Reservoir
Locale Mettur, Tamil Nadu, India
Length 1700 meters
Height 120 ft.
Opening date 1934
Geographical Data
Coordinates 11°48′00″N, 77°48′00″E
Capacity: 93.4 billion ft³ (2.64 km³)
Details in Tamil
Details in Tamil

The Mettur Dam is a large dam in India built in 1934.[1] It was constructed in a gorge, where the River Kaveri enters the plains. The dam is one of the oldest in India. It provides irrigation facilities to Salem, Tiruchirappali and Thanjavur district for 271,000 acres (1,100 km²) of farm land.

The total length of the dam is 1700 meters. The dam creates Stanley Reservoir. 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. Upstream from the dam is Hogenakal Falls.

The government of India's water resources ministry site[1] the Mettur dam is an old multipurpose project of the south Indian state (province) of Tamil Nadu across the Cauvery river. It irrigates 1,310 square kilometres each year. Its installed capacity for hydro-power generation is 32 MW.

The maximum level of the dam is 120 feet and the maximum capacity is 93.4 tmc ft.

Contents

[edit] 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 Karnataka.[2] 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 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.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Mettur Dam. Retrieved on 2006-11-22.
  2. ^ Inter-state Water Disputes. Water Ministry - Government of India. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.

[edit] External links

The River Kaveri
Dams

Banasura Sagar Dam | Bangara Doddi Nala | Grand Anicut | Krishna Raja Sagara Dam | Madadkatte | Mettur Dam | Stanley Reservoir

Tributaries

Amaravati River | Arkavathy River | Bhavani River | Hemavati River | Honnuhole River | Kabini River |
Lakshmana Tirtha River | Lokapavani River | Noyyal River | Pambar River | Shimsha River

Cities and Towns

Karikal | Kodagu | Kollidam | Kushalanagara | Nagapattinam | Poompuhar | Srirangam | Srirangapatna | Talakad | Talakaveri | Thanjavur | Tiruchirapalli

Physical Features

Bay of Bengal | Deccan plateau | Hogenakal Falls | Shivanasamudra Falls | Western Ghats

Riparian States and
Union Territories

Karnataka | Kerala | Pondicherry | Tamil Nadu