Banasura Sagar Dam, situated in Padinjarathara in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

is the largest earth dam in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and second largest dam in

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. Banasura Dam is under the control of Padinjarathara KSEB Station. India's first operating floating solar power plant was established in Banasura Dam. The dam is surrounded by Banasura Hills. Dam impounds the Karamanathodu tributary of the

Kabini River The Kabini River is one of the major tributaries of the river Cauvery in southern India, It originates in Wayanad district of Kerala state by the confluence of the Panamaram River and the Mananthavady River. It flows eastward through Wayanad ...

, is part of the Indian Banasurasagar Project consisting of a dam and a canal project started in 1979. The goal of the project is to support the Kakkayam Hydro electric power project and satisfy the demand for irrigation and drinking water in a region known to have water shortages in seasonal dry periods. The dam is also known as Kuttiyadi Augmentation Main Earthen Dam. The dam has a height of and length of . In the dam's

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

there is a set of islands that were formed when the reservoir submerged the surrounding areas. The islands with the Banasura hills are in the background view. It is the largest earth dam in India and the second largest of its kind in Asia. The dam is made up of massive stacks of stones and boulders. The Kuttiyadi Augmentation Scheme consists of a main dam known as Banasurasagar Dam, an earth fill dam and a concrete gravity spillway dam and six saddle dams namely, a) Kosani (Earth fill dam) 13.8 m high b) Near Kottagiri (Earth fill dam) 11.0 m high c) Kottagiri (Earth fill dam) 14.5 m high d) Kuttiyadi (Concrete dam) 16.5 m high e) Nayanmoola (Earth fill dam) 3.5 m high f) Manjoora (Earth fill dam) 4.0 m high. All the dams, except Kuttiady saddle, are earth fill dams. The Kuttiyadi saddle dam is a concrete dam. The spillway is located adjacent to the main dam at the right bank of the original river course. The water spread area at FRL / MWL is 12.77 km². The catchment area of Banasurasagar Dam is 61.44 km².

Specifications

;Location *Latitude:11⁰40’15”N *Longitude:75⁰57’21”E *Panchayath : Padinjarathara * Village : Padinjarathara *District : Wayanad * River Basin : Kabani *River : Karamanthodu, a tributary of Kabani river *Release from Dam to river : Karamanthodu *Taluk through which release flows : Vythiri, Mananthavadi *Year of completion : 2004 * Name of Project : Kuttiady Augmentation Scheme *Purposeof Project : Multi purpose *Type of Dam : Homogeneous rolled earth fill *Classification : HH ( High Height) * Maximum Water Level (MWL) : EL 775.60 m *Full Reservoir Level ( FRL) : EL 775.60 m * Storage at FRL : 209.25 Mm3 * Height from deepest foundation : 38.5 m ( Height from bed level) *Length : 685.00 m *Spillway : No spillway *Crest Level : NA * River Outlet : Nil *Officers in charge & phone No. : *Executive Engineer, Dam Safety Division No. V, Padinjarathara, PIN- 673122 Phone – 9446008415 **Assistant Executive Engineer, Dam Safety Sub Division, Padinjarathara PIN- 673122 Phone- 9496004480 *Installed capacity of the Project : 231.75 MW *Project Identification Code ( PIC) : KL29HH0044

Location

The Banasura Sagar Dam is located 2 km from Padinjarathara and 20km from

Kalpetta Kalpetta is a city and town and Grade 2 municipality in the Wayanad district of the Indian state of Kerala. Kalpetta is the headquarters of the Wayanad district, as well as the headquarters of Vythiri taluk. It is surrounded by dense coffee ...

Wayanad District Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of the Indian state of Kerala, with its administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, ...

in the Western Ghats. It is the largest earthen dam in India and the second largest in

and a starting point for hikes into the surrounding mountains. It is an important tourist attraction. Banasura Sagar Dam is at the foot of the Banasura Hill.

Spillway Dam

Kuttiady Augmentation Spillway dam is a concrete dam with spillways for the Banasurasagar (kutyadi Augmentation) reservoir. The Spillway dam is part of the Kuttiyadi Augmentation Scheme which is located in Wayanad district. It aims at utilizing water of the Karamanthodu River, a tributary of Kabani River. The Scheme consists of a main dam known as Banasurasagar Dam an earth fill dam and a concrete gravity spillway dam and six saddle dams.

Reservoir

The Gross Storage of Kuttiyadi Augmentation (Banasura sagar) Reservoir is 209 Mm3 and live storage 185 Mm3. The water stored in the reservoir is diverted to the reservoir of Kuttiyadi Hydro Electric Project through an interconnecting tunnel. The sill level of diversion tunnel at inlet is 750.83 m. The size and shape of tunnel is varying. It is varying from 2.35 m dia. circular lined tunnel for a length of 890m and 2.85 m D-shaped unlined tunnel for a length of 3873 m. Maximum diversion is11.6 m3/s. The diverted water is used for power generation from Kuttiyadi Power Station. FRL of the reservoir is 775.60 m. Top level of dam is 778.50 m. There are four radial gates, each of size 10.97 m x 9.20 m. Crest level of spillway is 767.00 m. Spillway capacity is 1664 m3/s. One lower level outlet is provided in the spillway structure at 750.75 m of size 1.10 m X 1.75 m to release irrigation requirement.

Etymology

The Banasura Sagar Dam is named after

Banasura Bana, also referred to as Banasura (), is an asura king in Hindu mythology, ruling from the city of Śoṇitapura. He is described to be the son of Mahabali. His tale of battling Krishna is described in the Bhagavata Purana. Legend A mighty asur ...

, the son of

Mahabali Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend in ancient texts suc ...

who as per local Hindu mythological belief was a very respected king of Kerala.

Tourism

The dam has become a popular tourist destination. Many people visit the place to go trekking at the Banasura Hill and speed boating at Banasura Sagar Dam. The

Banasura Hill Resort Banasura Hill Resort is a nature resort in Wayanad District of North Kerala, India; located away from Kalpetta, the district headquarters. It stands at an altitude of above sea level on a plot amidst the mountains of the Western Ghats declare ...

, located about 20 km from the dam was rated as Asia's largest Earthen Resort by

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Gallery

DR0071DSC 9245.jpg, The view of reservoir from nearby mountains Banasurasagar dam1(wayanad).jpg, Banasura sagar spill way dam which is adjacent to the Main earthfill dam Orange Minivet(Male) at Banasura Dam.JPG, Male orange minivet at Banasura Dam A typical view of Banasura Dam.JPG, A view from Banasura Dam Banasura Dam3.jpg, Boating facility

Current scenario

The actual missions for this dam is to provide water for Kakkayam reservoir which is situated in Kozhikode district to produce electricity and also irrigation in Wayanad, both the missions were not accomplished and currently it is a part of the Hydel project. It has India's first Solar Atop Dam.

References

External links

Government of Kerala Tenth Five Year Plan 2002-07 Report of the Working Group on 'Water Resources & Environment - Approach, Policies and Reforms'
(PDF)
Official Web Site of Wayanad District
{{Dams in Kerala Buildings and structures in Wayanad district Geography of Wayanad district Dams on the Kaveri River 1979 establishments in Kerala Dams in Wayanad district