Bhavanisagar Dam

Bhavanisagar Dam

Bhavanisagar Dam and Reservoir also called Lower Bhavani Dam, is located on the Bhavani River in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, India. The dam is situated some 16 km (9.9 mi) west to Sathyamangalam, is 35 km (22 mi) from Gobichettipalayam and is 36 km (22 mi) north-east to Mettupalayam. The dam feeds the Lower Bhavani Project Canal and is the second largest dam in Tamil Nadu.

The dam is considered to be among the biggest earthen dams in the country. Bhavanisagar dam is constructed on Bhavani River, which is merely under the union of Moyar River. The dam is used to divert water to the Lower Bhavani Project Canal. 

It is also the second biggest earthen dam in the World (First one in Russia ). The length of the earthen bund itself runs in to 8 Kms. from Zero Point. The Dam was constructed during post independent period from 1948 to 1955. The construction cost of the dam was 21.00 Crores. It is a Multi-Purpose Dam. It is used to store water for irrigation, generate electricity, supply drinking water, control flood and control the silt formation in the downstream river. It forms the tail end of the long river chain on the eastern side of the Western Ghats in Nilgiris. Average discharge from the dam is 1000 Cu Secs.

The Dam receives water through Southwest Monsoon from two main streams/ catchment areas from the Western Ghats. One stream is from Upper Bhavani, Avalanche, Emerald, Kundha, Gedhai, Pillur, Nellithurai and Lower Bhavani ( Bhavanisagar ). The other stream called as Western Catchment starts from Portimund, Parson’s Valley, Pykara, Glenmorgan, Chinkara, Maravakandy, Moyar, Thengumarahatta and Lower Bhavani ( Bhavanisagar ). Bhavani Sagar dam is constructed on Bhavani River, which is merely under the union of Moyar River. The dam is used to divert water to the Lower Bhavani Project Canal. The Ayacut was thrown open to irrigation from 1952 onwards. The project commands an area of 80,000.00 Hectares @ 1, 97,600.00 Acres i.e., around 2.00 Lakh Acres.

This Dam houses two Hydel Power Stations. One Power Station is located on the East Bank Canal and the other on the main Bhavani River. Each of the Units has 16 MW installed capacity. Thus, 32 MW of power is generated almost throughout the year

About 80 km from Coimbatore is the beautiful Bhavani Sagar Dam that was built after India gained independence and is one of the largest earthen dams in India and has been constructed over River Bhavani. With beautiful sprawling gardens, it is a delight for children and perfect place for picnics.

·         Bhavanisagar Reservoir

·         Lower Bhavani Power House

·         Lower Bhavani Major Irrigation Project

·         Lower Bhavani RBC Power House

Name of the Dam	Lower Bhavani Dam
Nearest City	Sathyamangalam
District	Erode
State	Tamil Nadu
Basin Name	Cauvery
River	Bhavani
Dam Type	Earthen / Gravity / Masonry
Purpose	Hydroelectric, Irrigation
Completion Year	1955
Length of Dam (m)	8797
Dam Height (m)	62
Design flood (cumec)	4043
Type of Spillway	Ogee
Length of spillway (m)	121
Type of Spillway gates	VERTICAL LIFT
Number of Spillway gates	9
Size of Spillway Gates (m X m)	10.97 x 6.10
Crest Level of spillway	274.32
Total Volume content of dam (TCM)	4960
Spillway capacity (cumec)	3143
Seismic Zone	Seismic Zone-II

This dam supplies water to two canals:

·         Arakkankottai and Thadampalli

·         Lower Bhavani Project (LBP)

There is a garden in front of this dam, which makes it a good picnic spot in this area. There are a few things that children could play with (like swings, etc.) and there is also a small closed channel of water for boating, a nice picnic spot for spending a day.

Children's can greatly enjoy while the time of their visit, as there is a park specially made to engage the children. The park is cleanly kept under perfect maintenance and it gives a great comfort to kids. The LBP was the first major irrigation project initiated in India after independence in 1947 and was in full operation by 1956.