Koyna Dam – UPSC Prelims

The Koyna Dam is the largest dam in Maharashtra.

The Dam is located in Satara District in the Western Ghats.

Koyna Dam is a rubble-concrete dam built on the Koyna River which rises in Mahabaleshwar, a hill-station in Sahyadri mountain ranges.

The work on Koyna dam was initiated in 1951 and the first turbine started working in 1962.

At present the stage V of Koyna Hydroelectric Power Project is under construction.

The main purpose of the dam is to provide hydroelectricity with some irrigation facilities in neighboring areas.

The Koyna dam supplies water to Paschim Maharashtra as well as to the hydroelectric power to neighboring areas.

The dam plays a vital role in flood control in monsoon season.

The catchment area dams the Koyna river and forms the Shivsagar Lake which is approximately 50 km in length.

It is one of the largest civil engineering projects commissioned after Indian independence.

The Koyna hydro-electric project is run by the Maharashtra State Electricity Board.

It covers an area of around 423.55 km2.

It was notified in 1985.

In 2007 Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary along with Chandoli National Park was declared as a part of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve declared by The National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The Koyna River is a tributary of the Krishna River which originates in Mahabaleshwar, Satara district, Western Maharashtra.

Unlike most of the other rivers in Maharashtra which flow East-West direction, the Koyna River flows in North-South direction.

It covers an area of 2,036 km2 in the Deccan terrain of the district of Satara in the state of Maharashtra.

With an elevation range of 550 – 1,460 m above mean sea level it typically represents a physiographic setup characterized by the Deccan plateau in the Western Ghats region.

It is dammed by the Koyna Dam at Koynanagar forming the Shivsagar reservoir.

Koyna River is supported by four tributaries.

They are Kera, Wang, Morna and Mahind. Among these rivers Kera, Wang and Morna are dammed.