Koyna Dam
| Koyna Dam |  | center |
|- | Date |
|---|
| Built in: | 1962 - 1963 |
| Height of dam: | 103 metres |
| Water storage: | 2,797.400 km³ |
| Volume of dam: | 1,555.000 m³ |
| Width of dam: | 808 m |
| Slope at water side: | 24:1 |
| Length of lake: | 60 km |
|
Koyna Dam is one of the largest
dams in
Maharashtra,
India. It is located in
Koyna Nagar, nestled in the
Western Ghats on the state highway between
Chiplun and
Karad, Maharashtra. The dam supplies water to western Maharashtra as well as cheap
hydroelectric power to the neighbouring areas with a capacity of 1,920
MW. The Koyna project is actually composed of four dams, with the Koyna dam having the largest catchment area.
The catchment area dams the
Koyna River and forms a huge lake — the
Shivsagar Lake whose length is 50 kilometres. Completed in 1963, it is one of the largest civil engineering projects commissioned after Indian independence. The Koyna electricity project is run by the
Maharashtra State Electricity Board. Most of the generators are located in excavated
caves a kilometre deep, inside the heart of the surrounding hills.
The dam is blamed for the spate of
earthquakes in the recent past. In
1967 a devastating earthquake almost razed the dam, with the dam developing major cracks.
Geologists are still uncertain if the Koyna Dam is responsible for the spate in seismic activity.
* Storage:
** Gross storage: 98.78 TMC
** Live: 93.65 TMC
** Dead: 5.125 TMC
* Length: 1807.22 m
* Height: 85.35 m
* Year of completion: 1963
|
The Koyna Dam in Maharashtra |
|
The resovoir behind the dam is 50 km in length. |
