pic credit:respective owners
Idukki Dam is a double curvature arch dam spanning the Periyar River in a narrow gorge between two granite hills at Kuravan and Kurathi villages in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. It was built by and owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board. It supports the 780 MW hydroelectric power plant at Moolamattom, which started generating electricity on 4 October 1975. It is one of the highest canals in Asia, with a height of 168.91 meters (554.2 feet). The Indo-Canadian Project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 17 February 1976. Three dams and two saddle dams, Kuramavu Saddle Dam (near the junction) and Kuramavu Saddle Dam (right bank), form an artificial lake with an area of 60 square kilometers (23 sq mi). The stored water is used to generate electricity at the Moolamattom power plant, located in a nearby rock cave. This wonder is considered the largest lake in Asia and the second highest in the world. The two mountains on both sides of the lake are locally known as Kulavan Mountain and Kulati Mountain and are also famous for tourism. It's so big, the reservoir flooded. This hydrological change not only provides water for irrigation but also controls downstream floods by controlling the flow of the Periyar River. The dam is the source of hydroelectric power in Kerala. Its arched shape is a unique architectural design designed to capture the richness of nature.