The Mettur Dam is one of the largest dams in India built in 1934. It was
constructed in a gorge, where the Kaveri River enters the plains. It provides
irrigation facilities to parts of Salem, the length of Erode, Namakkal, Karur,
Tiruchirappali and Thanjavur district for 271,000 acres of farm land.
The total length of the dam is 1,700 m. The dam creates Stanley Reservoir. The
Mettur Hydro Electrical power project is also quite large. The dam, the park, the
major Hydro Electric power stations and hills on all sides make Mettur a tourist
attraction. Upstream from the dam is Hogenakal Falls. The maximum level of
the dam is 120 ft and the maximum capacity is 93.4 tmc ft.
History When the dam was planned English people
gave some money and evacuated the people who lived in Nayambadi village which was
in the place of present Mettur dam. When the water level of the dam recedes even
now we can see age old church emerge from it as a proof. Those people who
migrated from Nayambadi have settled down in Martalli village and near by
villages which are part of Kollegal district Karnataka state, then those
villages were part of Erod district, Tamil Nadu. Those were the days Kaveri
disputes were at its peak, whenever disputes broke out these villagers were
the victims. People ran here and there to save their lives. Men tried to guard
village with weapon, keeping their women and children locked in house.
Water dispute The Mettur Dam has received attention of
the public during the recent past because of the Kaveri water dispute
between the States of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Consequent to building dams,
including the Kabini Dam, across the Kaveri River in Karnataka, the Mettur
Dam does not receive much water during lean seasons. Thus, the Dam nearly goes
dry during certain parts of the year, when water is most needed by the farmers
and general public of the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. This has
created serious dispute and tension between the neighbouring States of
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Governments of the respective states, the Supreme Court
and the Kaveri Tribunal have so far not been successful in solving the dispute.
Meanwhile, Kaveri Water Tribunal has been constituted to solve the problem
and the tribunal has passed it verdict of 419 tmc to Tamil Nadu, 270 tmc to
Karnataka, 50 tmc to Kerala and 7 tmc to Puducherry, which has been held highly
unsatisfactory by the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and has challenged
the verdict in the supreme court. The Central government after being condemned
by the Judge of the Supreme court has finally notified the Kaveri Tribunal
verdict in the Gazette. Farmers and People across the Agricultural State of
Tamil Nadu burst out of Jubilation as the result of the long pending justice
being established. It is however undeniable that the people of Karnataka
living in the Kaveri basin feel this is not justice.
The capacity of the dam is 93.4 billion ft³ nearly twice that of its Karnataka
counterpart of KRS, is revered as the life and life hood giving asset of Tamil
Nadu. This dam was built in line with KRS Dam which was designed by Sir M
Vishveswariah in 1911 and completed in 1917 near Mysore.
See also Banasura Sagar Dam
Stanley Reservoir Krishna Raja Sagara
Grand Anicut Kolathur Ealarimathikadu Dam
Pulavar Kuzhandhai wrote a book Kongu Naattu Kulamanighal in 1953.its reprint
came in May 2006 Notes
External links Metturdam.Com
metturtravels.com Mettur.Com
Ministry of Water Resources - Government of India
Mettur dam touches 100-foot mark Water released from Mettur dam
Photograph