Kallanai Dam

Kallanai Dam

The present structure of the dam
Location of Kallanai Dam in India Tamil Nadu
Official name Kallanai Dam
Location Trichy District
Coordinates 10°49′49″N 78°49′08″E / 10.830166°N 78.818784°E / 10.830166; 78.818784Coordinates: 10°49′49″N 78°49′08″E / 10.830166°N 78.818784°E / 10.830166; 78.818784
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Composite Dam and Reservoir
Impounds Cauvery
Length 0.329 km (1,079 ft)
Width (base) 20 m (66 ft)

Kallanai (also known as the Grand Anicut) is an ancient d[1]am in the world which is built (In Running water) across the Kaveri River in Trichy District in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. Located at a distance of 15 km from Tiruchirapalli, the dam was originally constructed by the Chola king Karikalan around the 2nd Century AD.[2][3] and is considered to be one of the oldest water-diversion or water-regulator structures in the world which is still in use.

History

The dam was originally built by Karikala Chola around second century AD.[4][5] The idea behind constructing the dam was to divert the river to the delta districts thereby boosting irrigation.[4] The dam was re-modeled by the British during the 19th century. In 1804, captain Caldwell, a military engineer was appointed by the British to make a study on the Kaveri river and promote irrigation for the delta region.[6] He found that a large amount of water passed onto the Kollidam leaving behind a small volume for irrigation purposes.[6] Caldwell initially proposed a solution by raising the dam and hence raised the dam stones to a height of 0.69 m, thus increasing the capacity of the dam.[4] Following this, Major Sim proposed the idea of undersluices across the river with outlets leading to the Kollidam River (Coleroon) thus preventing formation of silt.[4] The Lower Anaicut built by Sir Arthur Cotton in 19th century AD across Coleroon, the major tributary of Cauvery, is said to be a replicated structure of Kallanai.[4]

Geography

The Kaveri river splits into two at a point 20 miles (32 km) west of Kallanai. The two rivers form the island of Srirangam before joining at Kallanai. The northern channel is called the Kollidam (Coleroon); the other retains the name Kaveri, and empties into the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar. On the seaward face of its delta are the seaports of Nagapattinam and Karaikal.[7]

Description

The purpose of the Kallanai was to divert the waters of the Kaveri across the fertile delta region for irrigation via canals. The dam splits the river Kaveri into 4 streams known as Kollidam Aru, Kaviri, Vennaru and Puthu Aru. It is constructed from unhewn stone spanning the Kaviri and is 329 m (1,079 ft) long, 20 m (66 ft) wide and 5.4 m (18 ft) high.[8] The dam is still in excellent condition, and supplied a model to later engineers, including Sir Arthur Cotton's 19th-century dam across the Kollidam, the major tributary of the Kaveri.[9] The area irrigated by the ancient irrigation network is about 69,000 acres (28,000 ha). By the early 20th century, the irrigated area had been increased to about one million acres.[10]

The Delta farmers of Tamil Nadu have demanded that the Tamil Nadu government honour Karikala Cholan, who built the Kallanai.


Gallery

See also

References

  1. http://www.water-technology.net/features/feature-the-worlds-oldest-dams-still-in-use/
  2. "Flowing waters for fertile fields". The Hindu (India). 29 August 2011.
  3. Singh, Vijay P.; Ram Narayan Yadava (2003). Water Resources System Operation: Proceedings of the International Conference on Water and Environment. Allied Publishers. p. 508. ISBN 81-7764-548-X.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Syed Muthahar Saqaf (10 March 2013). "A rock solid dam that has survived 1800 years". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  5. Rita 2011, chpt. Small Field Big Crop.
  6. 1 2 Skempton 2002, p. 114.
  7. Wiebe E. Bijker (19 September 2006). "Dikes and Dams, Thick with Politics". Maastricht University. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  8. "Places to visit". IIM-Trichy, India. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  9. Govindasamy Agoramoorthy, Sunitha chaudhary & Minna J. HSU. "The Check-Dam Route to Mitigate India's Water Shortages" (PDF). Law library — University of New Mexico. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  10. "Fit case for World Heritage status". The Hindu (Trichy, India). 10 September 2007.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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