Vaigai Dam

Vaigai Dam Latest News

The timely onset of the northeast monsoon and water release from the Vaigai dam have invigorated Madurai’s farming community, prompting a rapid and widespread launch of paddy cultivation across the district’s double-crop regions.

About Vaigai Dam

• It was built in the year 1959 across the Vaigai River. 
• The dam measures 111 ft in height and the total storage capacity is 6,143 mcft.
• The dam has been the lifeline of the agricultural lands in the districts of Madurai and Dindigul. It also provides drinking water to Madurai and Andipatti. 
• The dam also has a hydropower station that generates 6 megawatts of electricity.
• Near the dam, the Government of Tamil Nadu has constructed an Agricultural Research Station to research on a wide variety of crops including cereals and pulses.
• There is a small beautiful garden on both sides of the Vaigai Dam called Little Brindavan that is connected by a small bridge. 

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Key Facts about Vaigai River

• It is a river in Tamil Nadu.
• It is considered to be one of the most sacred and ancient rivers in India, as it is mentioned in several Tamil literary and religious texts, such as the Silappatikaram, the Thiruvilayadal Puranam, and the Thirumurugatruppadai. 
• Course:
  • It originates from the Varusanadu and Megamalai hills of the Western Ghats. 
  • It travels through the Pandya Nadu region of Tamil Nadu generally in the south-east direction and rarely causes floods.
  • It drains into the Palk Strait near the Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram district.
• Length: It is 258 kilometres long.
• It drains an area of 7,741 sq.km, which entirely lies in the state of Tamil Nadu.
• Vaigai gets major feed from the Periyar Dam in Kerala. Water from the Periyar River in Kerala is diverted into the Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu via a tunnel through the Western Ghats.
• Tributaries: Its main tributaries are Suruliyaru, Mullaiyaru, Varaganadhi, Manjalaru, Kottagudi, Kridhumaal, and Upparu.
• It is the major river in the fabled city of Madurai, the capital of the ancient and prosperous Pandya kingdom located in southern Tamil Nadu.

Source: TOI