The Thenmala Dam also known as Parappar Dam is part of the largest irrigation project 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 ...
,
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 ...
. It is built along
Kallada River in
Kollam district
Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major La ...
of
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 ...
. The reservoir is used for irrigation and power generation.
The dam project started in 1960's under the Kallada Irrigation and Tree Crop development project. The foundation stone of the dam was laid by
T. K. Divakaran on 26 January 1972. It was completed in 1986 and was commissioned on 26 May 1986 by
K. Karunakaran along with Kallada Irrigation Project. The reservoir is now a part of Thenmala Ecotourism Project.
Location and Geography
The dam site is in the confluence of three major tributaries of
Kallada River namely
Kulathupuzha river which arises from various streams originating in
Ponmudi
Ponmudi (the Golden Peak) is a hill station in the Peringamala gramapanchayath of Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala in India. It is located 22km west of Vithura town, 53 km north-east of Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram City, ...
hills, Parappar river which originates from streams originating on
Windward
In geography and seamanship, windward () and leeward () are directions relative to the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e., towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point ...
side of
Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve and
Shendurney river originating from streams near
Aryankavu - Sengottai Pass. The gravity dam opens up to downstream that flow westward towards
Punalur
Punalur is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It is in the eastern part of the Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River and footh ...
.
The dam is situated 65 km east of
Kollam
Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...
, 72 km north of
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...
and 39 km west of
Tenkasi.
Kallada Irrigation Project
The KIP Project (Kallada Irrigation and Tree Crop development project) started with an original cost of Rs. 13.28
crores. The revised estimate of project is Rs. 728 crores (at the 1999 schedule of rates) and made cost escalation tto the tune of 5,356 percent. The ayacut targeted was 61,630 hectares (net) and 92,800 hectares (gross) but the achieved target was below 50,000 hectares Though the project was targeted for completion, and priority in allocation was given during the Ninth Plan, it could not be completed and commissioned fully.
Thenmala Ecotourism
India's first planned
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
was started around the reservoir in 1998. The ecotourism project uses reservoir as an
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
destination, with boating available, trekking and adventure activities on
Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary that surrounds the reservoir.
See also
*
List of dams and reservoirs in India
*
Palaruvi Falls
References
External links
Thenmala.infoThenmala HEP Short film by KSEB
{{Dams in Kerala
Dams in Kollam district
Tourist attractions in Kollam district
Dams completed in 1986
1986 establishments in Kerala
20th-century architecture in India