Mettur Dam
| Mettur Tamil dam | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | Mettur, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Coordinates | 11°48′00″N 77°48′00″E / 11.80000°N 77.80000°ECoordinates: 11°48′00″N 77°48′00″E / 11.80000°N 77.80000°E |
| Opening date | 1934 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 120 feet (37 m) |
| Length | 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Stanley Reservoir |
| Capacity: 93.4 billion ft³ (2.64 km³) | |
The Mettur Dam is one of the largest dams in India. Built in 1934, it was constructed by Pahalpatty Pa Ve Manicka Nayakar, who was an engineer working in PWD dept of British. India Mettur Dam plan was made by the British. He studied the plan and declared the project may fail if they go ahead with the plan. British govt discussed with him and and permitted him to draw a new plan for the proposed dam construction. Pa Ve Manicka Nayakar came up with a new plan. He even demonstrated a working model of the two plans. He proved his plan is superior and fool proof. So the dam was constructed under the guidance of Pahalpatty Pa Ve Manicka Nayakar then Governor of British India, Mr Stanley inaugurated the dam and declared it open. Ever since the Mettur dam across river Cauvery is called Stanley Dam Tamilnadu govt celebrated 75 years of Stanley Dam, where the Kaveri River enters the plains. It was constructed in 1934 and took 9 years to complete. Maximum height and width of the Dam are 214 and 171 feet respectively. Maximum storage height is 120 feet. Mettur Dam receives the water from both Kabini Dam and Krishna Raja Sagara Dam located in Karnataka. There are 2 hydroelectric power stations in Mettur Dam, the first constructed during British rule and the second during the Indian Republic. There is a park at the base of the dam called Ellis Park maintained by the Tamil Nadu Public Works Department. It provides irrigation facilities to parts of Salem, the length of Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Tiruchirappali and Thanjavur district for 271,000 acres (110,000 ha) of farm land.
The total length of the dam is 1,700 metres (5,600 ft). The dam creates Stanley Reservoir. The Mettur Hydro Electrical power project is also quite large. The dam, the park, the major hydroelectric power stations, and hills on all sides make Mettur a tourist attraction. Upstream from the dam is Hogenakal Falls. The maximum level of the dam is 120 ft (37 m) and the maximum capacity is 93.47 tmc ft.
Its capacity of 93.4 billion cubic feet (2.64 km3) is nearly twice that of its Karnataka counterpart of KRS; the dam is revered as the life and livelihood-giving asset of Tamil Nadu. It was built in-line with KRS Dam, which was designed by Sir M Vishveswariah in 1911 and completed in 1917 near Mysore.
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