List of Major Dams /Reservoirs in Tamilnadu State

The Following is a List of some of the Major Dams / Reservoirs in Tamilnadu State:-

Name of the Dam or Reservoir / Speciality, Location, Type, Year Built, Built Across, Length, Height, Capacity etc.:

• METTUR DAM / 

Speciality:  The ‘Largest Dam in Tamilnadu’ & ‘One of the Largest Dams in India’, 

Location: Mettur, Salem District,

Built Across: Cauvery River,

Built in the Year: 1934,

Length: 5600 Feet,

The Maximum Capacity of the Dam: 93.47 TMC FT.=2 64 678 Crores Litres,

The Maximum Height to which Water Level can stand: 120 Feet,

Uses of Water from the Mettur Dam: 

For Irrigation:  Water from the Mettur Dam is used for irrigation to the lands in the Districts of, Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Trichy and Tanjore,

Hydro Electric Power Station:   There is a large Hydro Electric Power Project in the Mettur Dam,
Tourism: With a Large Hydro Electric Power Generator Project and a Park, the Mettur Dam has been  a Tourist Spot of Tamilnadu,
In the place of the Mettur Dam, a village – ‘Nayambadi’ had been there, with age old Hindu Temples and a Church, which was evacuated by the British Government of India at the time of construction of the dam, The upstream from the Mettur Dam is the ‘Hogenakal Falls’,  

As the State Government of Karnataka has built dams including the ‘Kabini Dam’ across the Cauvery River water inflow into the Mettur dam has decreased, which is the major cause for the water disputes between the 2 States of Tamilnadu and Karnataka,
The Supreme Court of India and the‘Cauveri Water Tribunel’ are yet to resolve the ‘Cauvery Water Dispute’ between the two States,

•  BHAVANI SAGAR DAM & RESERVOIR / LOWER BHAVANI DAM /

Speciality:The Bhavanisagar Dam is the‘Second Largest Dam’ in Tamilnadu, Supplies water to Arakkankottai and Thadampalli Canals,

Type: Dam and Spillways,

Location: Bhavanisagar, Erode,

Nearby Places: Sathyamangalam at 16 kms, and Gopichettipalayam at 35 kms and Mettupalayam at 36 kms

Built Across: The ‘Bhavani River’,

Opened in the year: 1955,

Maximum Height: 105 Feet,

Total Capacity: 32.8 TMC Ft = 92879.26 Crores Litres

• ALIYAR RESERVOIR /

Location: The foothills of Valparai in the Aanaimali Hills of the Western Ghats, Near Pollachi,

Nearby Place: Coimbatore at 65 kms,

Year Built:  1959 -69,

Built Across:  Aliyar River for irrigation purposes, as a part of the‘Parambikulam Aliyar Project’ / PAP,  Length: 6562 Feet,

Catchment area: 1306.93 Crores Square Feet,

Average Depth: 60 Feet,

Maximum Depth: 120 Feet,

Capacity: 10.94 Crores Cubic Kilometres,

The Hydro Electric Power Project’: The waters of Parambikulam, Aliyar, Sholiyar, Thunakadavu, Thekkad and Palar Rivers  flowing at various elevations used for both irrigation and power generation,
Tourism: The Aliyar Dam is having a park, garden, aquarium, play areas, boating and a 'Theme Park',  maintained by the 'Tamilnadu Fisheries Corporation'.

There is a ‘Temple of Consciousness’ built near the entrance at ‘Arutperunjothi Nagar’ of ‘Vedhathiri Maharishi’.
The ‘Monkey Falls’ is at 6 kms from the dam,
A Forest Rest House is there for overnight stay of the tourists,
Fishery: - The Aliyar Reservoir has got a high level of fish production with 40 species of fish of 13 families and 7 stocked species of fish

• AMARAVATHI DAM  /

Type: Dam and Spillways,

Location: Amaravathi Nagar near the‘Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary' in Udumalpet, Tirupur District,
Year of Opening: 1957,
Nearby Places: Udumalpet at 25 kms 

Built across: The ‘Amaravathi River’,

Area: 9.31 Square Kilometres, Height: 110 Feet,

Uses of the Amaravathi Dam: For Flood Control and Storage of Water for irrigation,

Hydro Electric Power Generation:  Electrical Power Generating capacity of 4 Mega Waats, has been installed by the ‘Tamil Nadu Electricity Board’ /TNEB in the Amaravathi Dam
Fishery: The dam is having a high yield of fish, especially the‘Tilapia Fish’,


The ‘Amaravathi Nagar Tribal Fishermen Cooperative Society’ has been formed by  The Fisheries Department and issued Fishing Licenses to fishermen

Tourism: A Forest Rest House near the 'Crocodile Farm' is maintained for the use of the  tourists visiting the dam,  A well laid out park with steep steps to climb up and have a view of the plains below and with boating facilities,

Crocodiles Farm: There are about 100 crocodiles, including both male and female, of the broad snouted mugger crocodiles known as marsh crocodiles and Persian crocodiles, of various sizes are living in the Amaravathi Dam and the basin,

‘The Amaravathi Sagar Crocodile Farm’ , the largest ‘Crocodile Nursery’ in India, was established in the year 1976, at 1 kilometre before the Amaravathy dam site.
Other Aquatic Species:  Apart from Fish and Crocodiles, the ‘Oriental small-clawed otters’,
‘Indian Cormorants’, a species of Aquatic Birds,
and ‘Indian Flap-Shelled Turtles’

are also living in the Amaravathi dam and the basin

• SATHANUR DAM /

Location: Sathanur, Thandarampet Taluk, at 30 kms from Thiruvannamalai, among the Channakesava Hills,

Built in the year: 1958,

Built Across: The ‘Then Pennaiyar River’,

Maximum Height : 119 Feet,

Total Capacity: 7.32 TMC =20730.76 Crores Litres,

Tourism:  With a large‘Crocodile Farm’,

 a ‘Fish Grotto’, Parks and Gardens around,  the Sathanur Dam has been a Tourist Spot and a 'Shooting Location' for Indian Movies,
Water from the 'Bhavanisagar Dam' has been used for irrigation of lands in Thandrampet and Thiruvannamalai blocks

• VAIGAI DAM  /

Location: Near Andipatti, Theni District, Built across the Vaigai River,

Nearby Places:Andipatti at  7 kms, Theni at 14 kms and Madurai at 70 kms
Dindigul Railway Station at 61 kms is the nearest Railway Station to the Vaigai Dam
Madurai Airport /IXM at 80 kms is the nearest Airport, with connecting flights to and fro: Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Vijayawada and International Flights to and fro: Srilanka and Dubai, The Flight to and fro Singapore will be available soon ,
Year Opened and Opened  by: Vaigai Dam was inaugurated on 21st January 1959, by the Chief Minister of Madras State, Mr.K.Kamaraj,


Capacity: 6.14 TMC=17,396 Crores Litres ,

Total Height: 111 Feet,

Total Height at Full Capacity of Water: 71 Feet,

Maintained By: Vaigai Dam is maintained by the‘Water Resources Organization’ /WRO of the Public Works Department /PWD of the State Government of Tamilnadu,

Uses of the Vaigai Dam:Water from the Vaigai Dam has been used for irrigation of lands in Madurai and Dindigul Districts, and for Drinking purposes in Madurai and Andipatti,

Agricultural Research Station:
.The State Government of Tamilnadu has constructed an ‘Agricultural Research Station’ near the Vaigai Dam, for research of various crops, such as, paddy, sorghum, blackgram, cowpea and cotton,

Hydro Electric Power Station:The Vaigai dam Hydro Electric Power Plant, commissioned in the year 1990 is with a capacity of 6 Mega Waats, with two units of 3 Mega Waats each, operated by the‘Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited’ / TANGEDCO, 

Tourism: With a Small and beautiful park spread on both sides of the dam, connected by a bridge and a Children’s Play Area,  maintained by the ‘Water Resources Department’/WRD, the Vaigai Dam has been a good Tourist Spot of  Tamilnadu. 
The Vaigai Dam is one of the 104 Dams in Tamilnadu proposed to be improved under the‘Dams Rehabiliation and Improvement Project’ /DRIP

• PECHIPARAI DAM  /

Location: Pechiparai Village surrounded by the hills of the Western Ghats,

Nearby Places: Nagercoil in Kanyakumari District at 43 kms,

Period Built:  From 1897 and 1906, during the rule of the 'Travancore Maharaja Moolam Thirunal',

Built By:  The European Engineer Minchin,

Cost of Construction: Rs 26 Lakhs,

‘The catchment area of the reservoir’: 223.02 Crores Square Feet,

Depth:  48 Feet,

Length :  1,396 Feet,

Height:  396 Feet,

Uses of the Pechiparari Dam: Water from the Pechiparai dam is used for both irrigation and drinking purposes, and the demand by the farmers for the use of the entire waters from the dam for agriculture for lack of alternative source of drinking water supply to the local residents of Kanyakumari District

• PERUNCHANI DAM  /

Location: Perunchani Village, Kalkulam Taluk, Kanyakumari District,

Nearby Place: Nagercoil at  43 kms and Kulasekharam at 10 kms,

Period Built:  between the years 1948 and 1953,

Built by:  The then State of Travancore-Cochin,

Height:  119.0 Feet,

The Full Reservoir Level (FRL) & the Maximum Water Level (MWL):  306 Feet,

Length:  1,010 Feet,

Maximum Capacity at FRL:  2890.15 Crores Cubic Feet,

Area:  103.57 Crores Square Feet,

Uses of the Perunchani Dam: The waters from the Perunchani Dam is used through a combined canal system, for irrigation in the lands of Kanyakumari District

• KALLANAI DAM / GRAND ANAICUT  /

Location: Between Trichy and Tanjore, Nearby Places: Trichy at  15 kms and Tanjore at 35 kms,

Built Across: The Cauvery River,

Built By: Originally constructed by‘Karikal Cholan’, the Chola King in the 2nd Century AD, to divert the river flow to the delta districts for irrigation,
The British Military Engineer Captain Caldwell raised the height of the dam and Major Sim constructed under sluices across the Cauvery river with the outlets leading to the Kollidam / Coleron River,

Speciality: Kallanai/Grand Anaicut Dam is considered to be one of the world’s oldest water-regulator structure still in use,
Type: Dam and Spillways,

Length: 1,079 Feet,

Base Width:  66 Feet, Length: 1079 Feet, Height: 18 Feet,

The Cauvery river  splits into two rivers of Cauvery and Kollidam /Coleron at Mukkombu,  20 kms before the Kallanai /'Grand Anaicut' and they  rejoin at Kallanai and the landscape in between the two rivers is the island of Srirangam,

From the Grand Anaicut, the Cauvery River is diverted into 4 Streams: Cauvery River, Kollidam /Coleron River, Vennaru and Puthu Aaru, 

Uses of Kallanai: Water from the dam distributed via the 4 rivers and various canals are used for irrigation of lands in the Cauvery Delta parts of the Tiruchirappalli and Tanjore Districts

• UPPER ANAICUT /MELANAI  / Meaning the West Dam, as the dam is in the west side of Kalalnai, The Grand Anaicut 

Location: Vaathalai-Mukkombu, / Coleron,

Nearby Place: Tiruchirappalli at 18 kms,

Built Across: The Cauvery River, where the Cauvery River splits into 2 Rivers of Cauvery and Kollidam and the twoe rivers re-join at Kallanai, the island  in between the two rivers is 'Srirangam', the earthly abode of Lord Renganatha

Length: 2283 Feet,

Year Built: 19th Century AD,

Built by: Sir Arthur Cotton, English Engineer, inspired by the Grand Anaicut / Kallanai built by the Chola King,, ‘Karikalan’ in the 2nd Century AD

• LOWER ANAICUT / ANAIKARAI /

Built Across:  Lower Anaicut is a  Dam and a Bridge built across the Kollidam /Coleron River, the northern tributary of the Cauvery River, At the Lower Anaicut, the Kollidam River branches into two rivers of Manniar and Uppanaiyar,

Location: Anaikarai at about 112.6 kms from the Upper Anaicut / Kallanai, at 20 kms from Kumbakonam,

Year Built: 1902

Built by:  The British Colonial Administration of the Madras Presidency for irrigation of the then South Arcot District, using the stones from the ruins of the Gangai Konda Cholapuram

• KAMARAJ SAGAR DAM /SANYNALLA RESERVOIR OOTY  /

Location: Ooty, at 10 kms from Ooty Bus Stand in Nilgiris Mountains,

Tourism: Kamaraj Sagar Dam is a 'Movies Shooting  Location' and a 'Picnic Spot' on the slopes of the 'Wenlock Downs' of Ooty, the Nilgiris Mountains, the Queen of Mountains

• KODIVERI DAM (Kodiveri originated from ‘Kodivari’, meaning Tiger, as tigers had lived in the forest area around the Kodiveri Dam), 

Location: Near Sathyamangalam along the ‘State Highways Number 15’/SH 15, Nearby Place: Gopichettipalayam at 15 kms,

Built across: The ‘Bhavani River’,

Built by: Originally built by the ‘Semba Vettuvar Jayagonda Sozha Kongalvan’,

Year Built: 1125 AD,

Use of the Kodiveri Dam: For irrigation of lands north of Gopichettipalayam for cultivation of rice and sugarcane

• PAPANASAM DAM  /

Location: Papanasam,

Nearby Place: Tirunelveli at 49 kms,

Uses of the Papanasam Dam: Used for irrigation of rice fields in Tirunelveli and Tuticorin Districts,

Hydro Electric Power Plant: The ‘Papanasam Hydroelectric Power Plant’, commissioned between the years 1944 and 1951, operated by the‘Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited’/TANGEDCO

• UPPER SOLAIYAR DAM  /

Upper Solaiyar Dam is a vital reservoir under the 'Parambikulam Aliyar Project' / PAP, 

Location: At 20 kms from  Valparai, in the Aanaimalai Hills of the Western Ghats, in  Coimbatore District,

A part of the Hydro Electric Power Project of the State Government of Tamilanadu,  

Visiting /Entry Restricted, 

Nearby Places:Pollachi at 64 kms from Valparai, Chalakudy, Kerala the nearest Railway Station at 55 kms from Valparai, 

Year Built: Flanking in 1964 and Saddle in 1965,

Area: 9369. 98 Crores Square Feet,

Total  Height to which Water can be Stored: 160 Feet,

Height of the Flanking: 217 Feet,

Width of the Flanking: 1411 Feet,

Height of the Saddle: 850 Feet,

Width of the Saddle: 358 Feet