Vaigai Dam

About Vaigai Dam

• It is constructed across the Vaigai River near Andipatti, in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu.
• It was built in 1959 and is often referred to as the lifeline of the region.
• It has a height of 111 feet and can store 71 feet of water.
• It was primarily built to provide water for irrigation in the Madurai district and the Dindigul district, as well as drinking water for Madurai and Andipatti. 
• Near the dam, the Government of Tamil Nadu has constructed an Agricultural Research Station for researching the growing of a variety of crops.
• There is a small garden, called Little Brindavan that is located in close proximity to this dam.

Key facts about Vaigai River

• It is a river in Tamil Nadu state.
• Origin: It rises in the Varushanad Hills of the Western Ghats. 
• It travels through the Pandya Nadu region of Tamil Nadu.
• 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.
• The river finds a mention in Sangam literature dated to 300 before Common Era.
• Length: It is 258 kilometres long.
• 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 finally empties into the Palk Strait near the Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram district.
• The river fulfils the drinking water requirements of five districts in Tamil Nadu, namely, Theni, Madurai, Ramnathapuram, Sivagangai, and Dindigul. It also provides irrigation for 200,000 hectares of agricultural land.

Q1) What is the Palk Strait?

The Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Mannar district of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka. It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with the Palk Bay and thence with the Gulf of Mannar in the southwest. The strait is 33 to 50 miles wide. Several rivers flow into it, including the Vaigai River of Tamil Nadu.

Source: Second flood warning issued as water level in Vaigai dam touches 68.5 feet