Koyna Dam - Overview, Objectives Behind Construction, Key Facts And More

The Koyna Dam is one of the largest dams located in Maharashtra, India. It is a dam made of concrete and rubble built across the Koyna River, which originates in Mahabaleshwar, a hill town in the Sahyadri mountains. It is situated on the state route between Chiplun and Karad in Koyna Nagar, Satara district, in the Western Ghats. The Koyna Hydroelectric Project is India's largest hydroelectric power plant, just after Tehri Dam Project. The Koyna dam provides hydroelectric power to nearby communities and water to Paschim, Maharashtra. Koyna Dam plays a significant role in preventing flooding during the monsoon season. By damming the Koyna River, the catchment area creates the 50 km long Shivsagar Lake. The hydroelectric capacity of koyna dam is 1,960 MW.

Koyna Dam is one of the most important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It covers a significant part of the geography subject in the Mains General Studies Paper-1 syllabus and General Studies Paper-1 of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus.

This article will discuss in the simplest and most detailed manner the koyna dam information, including the latest updates, key facts, the water holding capacity of the koyna dam, the course of the Koyna river, and the benefits of the Koyna dam.

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Latest update related to Koyna Dam

• Recently, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on States tabled in the Maharashtra assembly highlighted the delay in the grant of Revised Administrative Approval to an incomplete hydroelectric project on Koyna dam.
• This delay resulted in the funds being blocked for more than six years.

About Koyna Dam

• The Koyna Dam is the largest in the Indian state of Maharashtra, which is located on the state highway between Chiplun and Karad in the Koyana Nagar of Satara District.
• It is a type of rubble-concrete dam.
• It is India’s second-largest completed hydropower plant.
• Koyna Hydroelectric Project consists of four stages of power generation.
• It is one of India's most significant and largest civil engineering projects after independence.
• The Koyna dam has created Shivasagar Lake, a tourist attraction site.

Overview of Koyna Dam

The overview of Koyna Dam is listed in the table below.

History Of Koyna Dam

• The construction of the Koyna dam started in the year 1956, and it was opened in 1964.
• The Tata group constructed a hydroelectric facility on the Koyna river after World War I (1914-18).
• The dam suffered a few cracks during the 1967 earthquake at Koyna Nagar. Many smaller earthquakes have also occurred around the dam.

Check out the list of Important dams and improve your level of preparation.

Objectives behind the construction of Koyna Dam

• Hydroelectricity – The main objective of the dam is hydroelectricity generation. It has a total installed capacity of 1,960 MW.
• Irrigation facilities – It also helps irrigate farm fields in neighbouring areas of the dam.
• Water and Power supply – The Koyna dam provides water to Paschim Maharashtra and hydroelectric power to the surrounding area.
• Flood control – During the monsoon season, the barrier is critical in flood management.
• Biodiversity conservation – The river and dam catchment area results in the 50-kilometre-long Shivsagar Lake, which helps restore Marine biodiversity.

Check the Important notes on rivers and drainage systems here.

Key Facts about the Koyna River

• The Koyna River is a right-bank tributary of the Krishna River.
• It rises near the Mahabaleshwar, a famous hill station in the Sahyadri ranges of the Western Ghats.
• The elevation of the river is between 550mt. – 1,460 mt. above mean sea level, which typically represents a physiographic setup characterized by the Deccan plateau in the Western Ghats region.
• It flows from the North to the south, unlike most of the rivers of Maharashtra, which flow from the East to the west.
• The confluence of the rivers Krishna and Koyna at Karad is called ‘Preeti Sangam’, which means ‘confluence of love’.
• Karad in Maharashtra is famous for producing sugar and is also India's top sugar-producing state. Maharashtra accounts for 138 lakh tonnes of sugar production for 2021-22.
• Koyna river is also known as the “Life Line of Maharashtra” due to its electricity-generating potential through Koyna Hydroelectric Project.

The Course of the Koyna River

• The length of the river is 130 km, its width is 100 meters, and its basin covers an area of 2,036 km2 in the Deccan terrain of the district of Satara in the state of Maharashtra.
• Koyna River has four tributaries Kera, Wang, Morna, and Mahind. Among these tributaries, Kera, Wang and Morna are dammed.

Check the NCERT notes on erosional Landforms created by rivers here.

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