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Mullaperiyar Dam Reservoir and Thekkady Wild life Reserve..
Image by -RejiK
Boats waiting for visitors at Thekkady lake for a ride thorugh the huge artificial lake or reservoir of water blocked by the Mullaperiyar Dam and other baby dams built between hills in the top of the western ghat mountains so that the water is held between them for irrigation and electricity generation purposes. During the boat ride spanning abt one hour along the sides of the hills, visitors could have a glimpse of wild animals like elephants, bison,deer etc in herds coming from inner forests to drink water esp. during summer months.
The dam,only one of its kind, existing specimen of a gravity dam in the world which is made of lime stone and surkhi in the the year 1895 (a mixture of sugar and calcium oxide) should be considered as one of the wonders of the world for being more than a century old calcium structure holding 443,230,000 m3 (359,332 acre·ft) of water at around 1000 meters above sea level . Also, the 3.5 million people living below the dam basin may be considered as the bravest group of human beings in the world for living there peacefully even while knowing that they will be washed away in less than 2 hours by the powerful water to the sea, if the weak dam fails at any time in the near future
The Thekkady Tiger Reserve is spread across 777 sq km, of which 360 sq km is thick evergreen forests on the huge hillslopes of the mountain range. The Thekkady Wildlife Reserve, is one of Kerala's prestigious possessions on the High Ranges of the Western Ghats. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978 under the Project Tiger scheme. In 1982 the core area of the reserve (350 sq. km.) was notified as National Park.
The open grasslands are home to the Elephants, the Bison and herds of deer. The moist deciduous forest is dominated by trees like Terminalia and Teak which shed their leaves seasonally. The varied habitat in the sanctuary supports a number of species of terrestrial, aquatic and arboreal animals. The tiger is the main predator in the Thekkady Tiger Reserve. An estimated 40 of these magnificent beasts inhabit the Reserve.
More on Thekkady Tiger reserve:
www.kerala-tourism-india.com/thekkady-tiger-reserve.html
Downstream of Mullaperiyar dam on Periyar river is Iduukki Dam. .The Periyar river and its tributaries provide the required infrastructure for generating power. The Idukki Arch Dam constructed across Periyar river in a narrow gorge between two granite hills (Kuravan and Kurathi hills) is the second highest in the country.
Idukki the double curvature arch dam is the highest of its kind in Asia. Attached to this dam of 650 feet (200 m) length and 550 feet (170 m) height, two other dams are also there in Kulamavu and Cheruthony.
The durability of Mullaperiyar dam which was built in 1895 is a major concern now especially there were a series of minor earthquakes in the nearby areas.
Mullaperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam made with lime stone and surkhi (a mixture of sugar and calcium oxide), an archaiced construction technology of 19th century,.] It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level by the British Government to divert water eastwards to Madras Presidency area (the present-day Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation and length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft). The Periyar National Park, Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir. Eventhough the dam and the river are fully owned by and located in Kerala, the dam is controlled and operated on a period lease by Tamil Nadu. The safety of the dam has been a matter of concern and a point of dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu States.
More latest reading on this subject:
www.ndtv.com/article/india/mullaperiyar-dam-a-long-histor...
A view of the dam and the risks on you tube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTkk7LGXypg
Wallflower
Image by Black.Dots.
the observer
Image by scottjlowe
