Sholayar Dam

News: An elderly woman was found dead and partially consumed, allegedly by a leopard, near her residence at Sholayar Nagar in the Sholayar Dam.

About Sholayar Dam

• Location: The Sholayar Dam is situated near Valparai in Tamil Nadu.
•  It is a masonry gravity dam built across the Sholayar River, which forms part of the Chalakudy River basin.
• Build it: The dam was constructed between 1961 and 1971 and is considered the highest dam in Tamil Nadu.
• The Sholayar Hydroelectric Project was the second major hydroelectric project established in the Chalakudy River basin in Kerala.
  • This project consists of three dams: the Sholayar Main Dam, Sholayar Flanking Dam, and Sholayar Saddle Dam, which together form a single reservoir.
• Height and length: The dam has a height of 66.15 m from its deepest foundation and a length of 430.53 m.
• Installed capacity: It has an installed power generation capacity of 54 MW.
• Total capacity: At full capacity, the reservoir can store approximately 153.48 million cubic meters (Mm³) of water, and the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) is 811.69 meters.
• Power generation: Water from the reservoir is diverted to a powerhouse located on the bank of the Anakkayam stream (Kerala), where it is used to generate 54 MW of electricity.
• The dam is surrounded by tropical deciduous and evergreen forests that support a wide variety of wildlife, including sambar deer, spotted deer, barking deer, elephants, leopards, gaur, and tigers.

About Sholayar River Sholayar River flows through Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Source and course of river: It has its source in Valparai Estate (Tamil Nadu) and runs in a westerly direction for about 30 miles before it joins the Parambikulam River (Kerala).  Tributary: It is one of the main tributaries of the Chalakudi River.  Catchment area: The total catchment area of this river up to its inflow into the Parambikulam River is 121.72 sq. km.