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SAVE KERALA SAVE MULLAPERIYAR DAM

Mullaperiyar Dam

By Rahul PPublished 11 months ago 6 min read
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Mullaperiyar Dam

A stone work gravity dam on the Periyar Stream in the Indian province of Kerala. Situated in the Cardamom Slopes of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki Region, Kerala, at a rise of 881 meters (2,890 ft) above ocean level. , India. Worked by John Pennycook somewhere in the range of 1887 and 1895, it additionally agreed to redirect water toward the east to the Madras Administration region (present-day Tamil Nadu). It is 53.6 meters (176 ft) high from the base and 365.7 meters (1,200 ft) long. Periyar Public Park in Thekkady is arranged around the repository of the dam. The dam is worked at the conversion of the Mulliyar and Periyar waterways. The dam is situated on the Periyar Waterway in Kerala, however is worked and kept up with by the adjoining territory of Tamil Nadu. Albeit the Periyar Waterway has an all out catchment area of 5398 km2, 114 km downstream from the dam in Tamil Nadu, the catchment region of the Mullaperiyar Dam itself is totally in Kerala and is in this manner not a between state stream. On November 21, 2014, the water level arrived at 142 feet without precedent for 35 years. On August 15, 2018, the supply again arrived at its greatest degree of 142 feet because of persistent downpours in Kerala. An UN report distributed in 2021 recognized the dam as one of the world's biggest dams, which could endanger 3.5 million individuals on the off chance that it is over 100 years of age since it is situated in a seismically dynamic region.

Earlier alluded to as the Periyar Dam as it was basically expected to dam the Periyar stream, the momentum name Mullaperiyar is deduced by blending the names of Mullayar Stream and Periyar Stream, at the combination of which the dam is found beneath.

Making Of The Mullaperiyar Dam - 1895

The Periyar stream which streams westward of Kerala in to the Center Eastern sea was diverted eastwards to stream towards the Straight of Bengal to give water deep down dry storm shadow district of Madurai in Madras Organization which required a more conspicuous reserve of water than the little Vaigai Stream could give. The dam made the Periyar Thekkady supply, from which water was diverted eastwards through an entry to build the little movement of the Vaigai Stream. The Vaigai was dammed by the Vaigai Dam to give a source to watering gigantic bundles around Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram districts. At first the dam waters were used solely for the water arrangement of 68,558 ha (169,411 areas of land).

The Mullaperiyar Dam is a gravity dam made with substantial prepared from limestone and "surkhi" (consumed block powder), and faced with rubble. Gravity dams use their weight and the force of gravity to assist the storehouse and remain with corralling. The essential dam has a biggest degree of 53.6 m (176 ft) and length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft). Its pinnacle is 3.6 m (12 ft) wide while the base has a width of 42.2 m (138 ft). It includes an essential dam, spillway to its left side and a partner dam (or "kid dam") to the right. Its stock can keep 443,230,000 m3 (359,332 acre⋅ft) of water, of which 299,130,000 m3 (242,509 acre⋅ft) is dynamic (live) limit.

In May 1887, improvement of the dam began. As per "The Strategic Expert in India" Vol II by Sandes (1935), the dam was worked from limestone and "surkhi" (drank block powder and a blend of sugar and calcium oxide ) at a cost of ₹ 104 lakhs, was 173 feet high and 1241 feet in length along the top and encased more than 15 thousand million cubic feet of water. Another source communicates that the dam was created of concrete and gives a figure of 152 feet level of the full water level of the storehouse, with holding onto breaking point of 10.56 thousand million cubic feet close by a hard and fast evaluated cost of ₹ 84.71 lakh.

The advancement incorporated the usage of troops from the first and fourth units of the Madras Pioneers as well as Portuguese experts from Cochin who were used in the improvement of the cash vault dams and other structures. The best test was the redirection of the stream so that lower sections of the remarkable dam could be created. The concise banks and money safe dams used to control the stream waters were reliably gathered up by floods and rains. Due to the cash chest dam frustrations, the English quit sponsoring the endeavor. Official Pennycuick raised resources by offering his soul mate's diamonds to continue the work. In Madurai, Pennycuick's model has been presented at the state PWD office and his photographs are found brightening walls in social classes homes and shops. In 2002, his unprecedented grandson was respected in Madurai, a capacity that was gone to by extraordinary numerous people.

The dam made a stock in a far off precipice of the Periyar stream organized 3,000 feet over the sea in thick and malarial wild, and from the northerly arm of this engineered waterbody, the water streamed first through a significant cutting for about a mile and subsequently through a section, 5704 feet in length and later through another cutting on the contrary side of the watershed and into a trademark gorge consequently onto the Vaigai Stream which has been mostly produced for a length of 86 miles, finally delivering 2000 cusecs of water for the dry storm shadow districts of present-day Theni, Dindigul Locale, Madurai Region, Sivaganga Region and Ramanathapuram areas of Tamil Nadu, then, under English rule as an element of Madras Domain (Sandes, 1935).

The Periyar project, as it was then referred to, was by and large considered as far as possible into the 20th hundred years as "one of the most remarkable achievements of planning anytime performed predominantly of troublesome work was involved and worker mortality from wilderness fever was high. It was ensured that had it not been for "the supportive effects of the neighborhood soul called arrack, the dam might just never have been finished".483 people passed on from sicknesses during the improvement of this dam and were canvassed close by in a cemetery just north of the dam.

In 2012, it was accounted for that a recognition committed to dam engineer Pennycuick would be raised at the dam site.

After the 1979 Morvi Dam disillusionment which killed up to 15,000 people, security stresses of the developing Mullaperiyar dam and guaranteed deliveries and breaks in the plan were raised by the Kerala Government. A survey coordinated by The Center for Geography Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram, had uncovered that the development wouldn't get through a seismic quake above significance 6 on the Richter scale. The dam was similarly analyzed by the chief, CWC (Central Water Commission). On the arrangements of the CWC, the Tamil Nadu government cut down the limit level from 152 feet to 142.2 feet then to 136 feet, drove security fixes and braced the dam.

Supporting estimates embraced by Tamil Nadu PWD from 1979 with the proposition of Central Water Commission(CWC) consolidate grouting of the old dam with concrete, guniting the upstream substance of dam, connect securing of the dam's plan with the foundation all through its length, RCC(Reinforced Significant Turn of events) covering on top of the dam at level more than 145 feet, building 10 meter RCC significant maintaining structure with 10 feet foundation to even out of 145 feet in downstream face of dam and confining the RCC structure using shear keys and concrete grouting with the old development and the foundation along the downstream embodiment of dam, collecting additional waste showcases to evaluate spillage and additional conduit doorways for water flight.

During a 2011 checking of the Mullaperiyar dam using a remotely worked vehicle by the Central Soil and Materials Investigation Station on course from the Empowered Board of the Great Court, the Kerala Government observer trusted that "messes up in the building up works finished by Tamil Nadu" in 1979 hurt the workmanship of the dam.

Current security concerns interface with a couple of issues. Since the dam was created using stone rubble block work with lime mortar grouting following winning nineteenth century improvement systems that have now aged significantly designed, spillage and breaks from the dam have caused concern. Moreover, the dam is organized in a seismically dynamic zone. A shudder assessing 4.5 on the Richter scale occurred on 7 June 1988 with most outrageous mischief in Nedumkandam and Kallar (inside 20 km of the dam).[citation needed] along these lines, a couple of tremors have happened close by lately. These could be supply prompted seismicity, requiring further assessments as demonstrated by experts. A 2009 report by IIT Roorkee communicated that the dam "was likely going to defy hurt if a quake of the size of 6.5 on the Richter scale struck its region when the water level is at 136 feet".

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