Koyna River
Encyclopedia
The Koyna River rises in Mahabaleshwar and is a tributary of the Krishna River
in western Maharashtra
, India
. It rises near Mahableshwar, a famous hill station in the Western Ghats
. Unlike most of the other rivers in Maharashtra which flow East-West direction, the Koyna river flows in North-South direction. The Koyna River is famous for the Koyna Dam
and the Koyna Hydroelectric Project
. Today the Koyna Hydroelectric Project is the largest completed hydroelectric project in India. The reservoir — Shivasagar Lake, is a huge lake of 50 km in length.
Due to its electricity generating potential through Koyna Hydroelectric Project
, Koyna river is known as the Life Line of Maharashtra
The river meets the Krishna River
, which is one of the three largest rivers in southern India by Karad
.
The river is just about 100 meters in width and is slow-flowing. It is an olive shade of green during the dry months and a bluish-brown in the monsoon
months attributed to much algae
and aquatic plant life.The impounded water of the Koyna Dam though has submerged a significant amount of Rain forest of the Western Ghats
, it has helped a lot to the surrounding forest by supplying water all round the year. Hence a wide biodiversity of plants and animals is observed in the evergreen forest surrounding the river.
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...
in western Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It rises near Mahableshwar, a famous hill station in the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
. Unlike most of the other rivers in Maharashtra which flow East-West direction, the Koyna river flows in North-South direction. The Koyna River is famous for the Koyna Dam
Koyna Dam
The Koyna Dam is one of the largest dams in Maharashtra, India. It is a rubble-concrete dam constructed on Koyna River which rises in Mahabaleshwar, a hillstation in Sahyadri ranges...
and the Koyna Hydroelectric Project
Koyna Hydroelectric Project
The Koyna Hydroelectric Project is the largest completed hydroelectric power plant of India. It is a complex project consisting of total four dams with the largest Dam built on Koyna River known as Koyna Dam hence the name Koyna Hydroelectric project. The project uses potential of water from Koyna...
. Today the Koyna Hydroelectric Project is the largest completed hydroelectric project in India. The reservoir — Shivasagar Lake, is a huge lake of 50 km in length.
Due to its electricity generating potential through Koyna Hydroelectric Project
Koyna Hydroelectric Project
The Koyna Hydroelectric Project is the largest completed hydroelectric power plant of India. It is a complex project consisting of total four dams with the largest Dam built on Koyna River known as Koyna Dam hence the name Koyna Hydroelectric project. The project uses potential of water from Koyna...
, Koyna river is known as the Life Line of Maharashtra
The river meets the Krishna River
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...
, which is one of the three largest rivers in southern India by Karad
Karad
Karad is a town and a municipal council in Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It lies at the confluence of Koyna River and the Krishna River. The two rivers originate at Mahabaleshwar which is around 100 km from Karad. They diverge at their origin and then meet again in...
.
The river is just about 100 meters in width and is slow-flowing. It is an olive shade of green during the dry months and a bluish-brown in the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
months attributed to much algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
and aquatic plant life.The impounded water of the Koyna Dam though has submerged a significant amount of Rain forest of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
, it has helped a lot to the surrounding forest by supplying water all round the year. Hence a wide biodiversity of plants and animals is observed in the evergreen forest surrounding the river.
See also
- Koyna Hydroelectric ProjectKoyna Hydroelectric ProjectThe Koyna Hydroelectric Project is the largest completed hydroelectric power plant of India. It is a complex project consisting of total four dams with the largest Dam built on Koyna River known as Koyna Dam hence the name Koyna Hydroelectric project. The project uses potential of water from Koyna...
- Koyna DamKoyna DamThe Koyna Dam is one of the largest dams in Maharashtra, India. It is a rubble-concrete dam constructed on Koyna River which rises in Mahabaleshwar, a hillstation in Sahyadri ranges...
- Koyna Wildlife SanctuaryKoyna Wildlife SanctuaryKoyna Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Satara district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The sanctuary is nested in the Western Ghats, covering an area of around 426.52 and with an altitude ranging from 600 to 1,100 meters...
- List of power stations in India
- List of conventional hydroelectric power stations