The Krishnagiri Dam is a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

that spans the

Thenpennai River The South Pennar River (also known as ''Dakshina Pinakini'' in Kannada and ''Thenpennai or Ponnaiyar'' or ''Pennaiyar'' in Tamil) is a river in India. Bangalore, Hosur, Tiruvannamalai, and Cuddalore are the important cities on the banks of Sout ...

by the village of Dhuduganahalli, located in

Krishnagiri district Krishnagiri district is one of the 38 districts (a district in the north western part) of the state of Tamil Nadu, in India. This district is carved out from Dharmapuri District by 2004. The municipal town of Krishnagiri is the district head ...

, Tamil Nadu, India. The Krishnagiri Dam is also known as Krishnagiri Reservoir Project (KRP) Dam. The KRP Dam is located from

Krishnagiri Krishnagiri () is a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, and it serves as the administrative headquarters of Krishnagiri District formed in 2004. It is located at the bottom of Krishnadevaraya Hills, and the town is fully surrounded by hill ...

, between

Dharmapuri Dharmapuri is a special grade town in the north western part of Tamil Nadu, India. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Dharmapuri district which is the first district created in Tamil Nadu after the independence of India by splitti ...

and Krishnagiri which irrigates thousands of acres of land around Krishnagiri. The Dam is operational from 10 November 1957, inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

K. Kamaraj Kumaraswami Kamaraj (15 July 1903 – 2 October 1975, hinduonnet.com. 15–28 September 2001), popularly known as Kamarajar was an Indian independence activist and politician who served as the Chief Minister of Madras State (Tamil Nadu) ...

History

The KRP Dam Project was proposed in the First Five Year Plans of India and started in the year 1955. The Dam works are completed in the Second Five Year Plans of India and is operational from 1958. The project was inaugurated by the

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu The chief minister of Tamil Nadu is the chief executive of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive authority rests with th ...

. This is one of the Major

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow Crop, crops, Landscape plant, landscape plants, and Lawn, lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,00 ...

schemes were planned in Kamaraj's period . The other projects are Lower Bhavani, Mani Muthuar ,

Cauvery delta Chola Nadu is a cultural region of the Tamil Nadu state in southern India. It encompasses the lower reaches of the Kaveri River and its delta, and formed the cultural homeland and political base of the Chola Dynasty which ruled large parts of ...

, Aarani River,

Vaigai Dam The Vaigai Dam is built across the Vaigai River near Andipatti, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, southern India. Near the dam, the Government of Tamil Nadu has constructed an Agricultural Research Station for researching the growing of a ...

, Amravathi , Sathanur , Pullambadi,

Parambikulam Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which also includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area lying in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. The Wildlife Sanctuary, which had an area of wa ...

and Neyaru Dams. The approved cost of the project is ₹20.2 million. The project was completed within ₹15.9 million (Actual cost). The project is covered under CADA (Command Area Development Authority) Scheme.

Dimensions

The KRP dam is 990.59 m long and Max Height of the dam is 29.26 meters above Foundation. Total Volume content of Dam is 509 TMC. The

Spillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

is ogee crest type and the crest level is 483.11 meters. The capacity of the Spillway is 4061 cu. meters with a designed flood capacity of 4233.33 Cu. meters. There are eight spillway gates of sixe 12.19 x 6.10 meters. The water level is at its maximum of 484.63 metres, for which the Full Reservoir Level is 483.11 metres. The catchment area for the Krishnagiri Reservoir is 5428.43Sq. km. The Gross Storage Capacity 68.2 MCM.

Tourist Attraction

The KRP Dam Park near the KRP Dam is developed and maintained by

Tamil Nadu Public Works Department The Public Works Department of Tamil Nadu is a state government owned authority, and is in charge of public sector works in the State of Tamil Nadu. It is part of the Ministry of Public Works Department, and is entrusted with the construction a ...

. This is a famous tourist spot. This dam is flooded with tourists during the weekends. The entry ticket for a person is ₹5. There is two wheeler and four wheeler parking facility available near the park. There are monkeys around the park. The park has children's play area, fountains, lawn and jogger footpath. The KRP Dam and the park is suitable to visit throughout the year. The park is open all days of the week.

Irrigation and Agriculture

The Krishnagiri Medium Irrigation Project is a medium major medium irrigation project in Tamil Nadu. Farmers in Periyamuthur, Sundekuppam, Thimmapuram, Souteaalli, Thalialli, Kalvealli, Kundalapatti, Mittaalli, Erraalli, Penneswaramadam, Kaveripattinam, Balekuli, Marichettihalli, Nagojanaalli, Janapparuralli and Paiyur would benefit. The Culturable Command Area (CCA) as well as Ultimate Irrigation Potential of the Krishnagiri Medium Irrigation Project is 3.65 Th ha.

References

{{Hydrography of Tamil Nadu Dams in Tamil Nadu 1957 establishments in Madras State Dams completed in 1957

History

Dimensions

Tourist Attraction

Irrigation and Agriculture

See also

References