Mullaperiyar Dam
Mullaperiyar Dam (IPA: [mulːɐpːeɾijɐːr]) 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 (present-day Tamil Nadu). 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'.
| Mullaperiyar Dam | |
|---|---|
Location of Mullaperiyar Dam in India Mullaperiyar Dam (Kerala) | |
| Country | India |
| Location | Kerala |
| Coordinates | 9°31′43″N 77°8′39″E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1887 |
| Opening date | 10 October 1895 |
| Operator(s) | Tamil Nadu |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity |
| Impounds | Periyar River |
| Height (foundation) | 53.66 m (176 ft) |
| Length | 365.85 m (1,200 ft) (main) |
| Width (crest) | 3.6 m (12 ft) |
| Width (base) | 42.2 m (138 ft) |
| Spillways | 13 |
| Spillway type | Chute |
| Spillway capacity | 3,454.62 cubic metres per second (4,518 cu yd/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 443,230,000 m3 (359,332 acre⋅ft) (15.65 tmc ft) |
| Active capacity | 299,130,000 m3 (242,509 acre⋅ft) (10.56 tmc ft) |
| Maximum water depth | 43.281 m (142 ft) |
| Power Station | |
| Operator(s) | Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited |
| Commission date | Unit 1:1958 Unit 2: 1959 Unit 3:1959 Unit 4:1965 |
| Turbines | 3 x 42 MW 1 x 35 MW |
| Installed capacity | 161 MW |