Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam : In News
The water level at the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir, across the river Cauvery breached the 100 feet mark against the maximum level of 124.80 feet recently
- Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam is a type of gravity dam built on the river Kaveri and its tributaries, Hemavathi and Lakshmana Theertha, in the district of Mandya in Karnataka.
- The dam was named after Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV, the then-ruler of the princely state of Mysore, who played a significant role in initiating and funding the construction.
- The dam’s primary objectives were to provide water for irrigation, generate hydroelectric power and mitigate the impact of droughts in the region.
- The construction began in 1911 and was completed in 1931.
- The dam was designed by Sir M. Visvesvaraya, a famous Indian engineer (often referred to as the ‘architect of modern Mysore’ or ‘father of planning in India’).
- The reservoir is spread over an area of 130 Sq. Kms.
- It is 2,621 meters (8,600 feet) long and 40 meters (130 feet) high.
- The dam has arch-type 177 iron sluices and some of them have automatic doors.
- The dam was among the first in the world to have automatic sluice gates.
- It was constructed using traditional stone masonry and a lime-pozzolan mortar called surki, which acted as the binder.
