The Ponmudi Dam is a concrete gravity dam built across the Panniyar river which is a tributary of Periyar river at Konnathady panchayath of Konnathadi village in

Idukki district Idukki (ഇടുക്കി; ) is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala in the southwest of the country. It is the largest district in Kerala and lies amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats in Kerala. Idukki district co ...

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 ...

, India. The dam was constructed in 1963 as a part of a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

project. Construction was led by E.U.Philipose, Superintending Engineer, Kerala State Electricity Board. It has a length of . The hydropower component of the dam has an installed capacity of 30 MW with firm power of 17 MW, generating 158 GWh annually. Taluks through which the river flow are Udumbanchola, Devikulam, Kothamangalam,

Muvattupuzha Muvattupuzha () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipalityhttps://lsgkerala.gov.in/system/files/2017-10/localbodies.pdf in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located east of the district headquarters in Thrikkakara and a ...

, Kunnathunadu,

Aluva Aluva () is a Municipalities of Kerala, municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre. Aluva is known for the Aluva Sivarathri festival, Sivarathri festival, which is celebra ...

Kodungalloor Kodungallur (; formerly also called as Cranganore (anglicised name), Portuguese: Cranganor; Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the M ...

and Paravur.

Location

The dam, located near

Munnar Munnar () is a town located in the Idukki district of the southwestern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. This ancient plantat ...

on the Panniar river in the Periyar river valley in Kerala, is part of the basin of the West flowing rivers of the Tadri to

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

. The nearest city is Udumbanchola. Mattupetty to Ponmudi dam is a distance of .

Features

The Ponmudi dam is a masonry gravity dam of height with a total length of . At the Full Reservoir Level, the gross storage capacity of the reservoir is and live storage is . The dam has a total volumetric content of . The dam is located in Seismic Zone-III. The reservoir water spread area or submergence area is . The spillway is designed for a design discharge of per second. The flood discharge is routed through a spillway which is fitted with three radial gates, each . The stored water is diverted through a tunnel of for power generation creating a head of .

Hydro power development

The water stored in the reservoir is utilized for power generation by diverting the flows through a tunnel followed by two lines of penstock pipes each with a diameter of and a length of . The two penstock pipe lines are designed to carry a discharge of per second. The power station located at Panniyar is provided with installation of 30 MW comprising two units, each of 15 MW capacity Francis turbines. The firm power generation is 17 MW and the annual power generated is 158 GWh. The first unit was commissioned on 29 December 1963 and the second unit on 26 January 1964. The units were renovated in 2001 and 2003.

Major disaster

In a major disaster at the project site, which occurred 17 September 2007, one of the penstock valves burst causing the death of 7 people, destroying 15 houses, and damaging of crops. The reason attributed to the pipe burst is the loosening of the flange bolt connection. The damaged valve was rectified in July 2009.

References

External links

{{Dams in Kerala Dams in Idukki district Dams completed in 1963 1963 establishments in Kerala 20th-century architecture in India