Koyna Dam

About Koyna Dam

• Location: It is one of the largest dams in the state of Maharashtra and is located at Koyna Nagar in Satara district.
• It is a rubble-concrete dam constructed on the Koyna River.
• The construction of this dam was completed in 1963 and is amongst the chief civil engineering projects built after the independence of India.
• The main purpose of dam is hydroelectricity with some irrigation in neighboring areas.
• Koyna Hydroelectric Project is the largest completed hydroelectric power plant in India, with a total installed capacity of 1,920 MW. 
• The catchment area of the Koyna Dam blocks up the Koyna River and creates the Shivsagar Lake, which is roughly 50 km long.
• The dam plays a vital role in flood control during monsoon season.

Key Facts about Koyna River

• It is a tributary of the Krishna River in the western part of Maharashtra.
• Origin: It rises near Mahabaleshwar, a famous hill station in the Western Ghats. 
• The river is just 100 meters wide and flows slowly.
• Unlike most of the other rivers in Maharashtra, which flow East-West direction, the Koyna River flows in North-South direction.
• The river merges with the Krishna River at Karad in the Satara district of Maharashtra.
• Due to its electricity-generating potential through the Koyna Hydroelectric Project, Koyna River is known as the Life Line of Maharashtra. 

Q1) Which are the main tributaries of Krishna River?

The principal tributaries joining Krishna are the Ghataprabha, the Malaprabha, the Bhima, the Tungabhadra and the Musi.

Source: Koyna dam authorities propose water cuts for irrigation, power generation