Malampuzha Dam
Encyclopedia
Malampuzha Dam is the largest reservoir
in Kerala
, located near Palakkad
in south India
with the scenic hills of the Western Ghats
in the background. It is a combination of a masonry dam
with a length of 1,849 metres and an earthen dam with a length of 220 metres. The dam is 6,066 feet high and crosses the Malampuzha River
, a tributary of Bharathappuzha
, Kerala's second longest river. There is a network of two canal systems that serve the dam's reservoir
of 42,090 hectares.
The dam project was begun in 1949 and completed in 1955. The total catchments area is 145 square kilometres, while the reservoir has a capacity of 8000 square meters of water. The canal systems serve to irrigate farm land while the reservoir provides drinking water to Palakkad and surrounding villages.
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, located near Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
in south India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
with the scenic hills 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...
in the background. It is a combination of a masonry dam
Masonry dam
Masonry dams are dams made out of masonry; mainly stone and brick. They are either the gravity or the arch type.The largest masonry dam of the world is Nagarjunasagar Dam in India....
with a length of 1,849 metres and an earthen dam with a length of 220 metres. The dam is 6,066 feet high and crosses the Malampuzha River
Malampuzha River
Malampuzha River is one of the tributaries of the river Kalpathipuzha. Malampuzha Dam is built across the river at Malampuzha about 8 km from the Palakkad town in the Indian state of Kerala. The reservoir formed by the Malampuzha Dam is 23.13 square kilometres in area and is the second largest...
, a tributary of Bharathappuzha
Bharathappuzha
Bharathappuzha , also known as River Nila, is a river in India in the state of Kerala. With a length of 209 km, it is the second-longest river in Kerala, after the Periyar River. The word "Nila" indicates the culture more than just a river. Nila has groomed the culture and life of south...
, Kerala's second longest river. There is a network of two canal systems that serve the dam's reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
of 42,090 hectares.
The dam project was begun in 1949 and completed in 1955. The total catchments area is 145 square kilometres, while the reservoir has a capacity of 8000 square meters of water. The canal systems serve to irrigate farm land while the reservoir provides drinking water to Palakkad and surrounding villages.