THE FAMOUS DAM IN MY LOCALITY

INTRODUCTION

Dam, structure built across a stream, a river, or an estuary to retain water.

Dams are built to provide water for human consumption, for irrigating arid and
semiarid lands, or for use in industrial processes. They are used to increase the amount
of water available for generating hydroelectric power, to reduce peak discharge of
floodwater created by large storms or heavy snowmelt, or to increase the depth of
water in a river in order to improve navigation and allow barges and ships to travel
more easily. Dams can also provide a lake for recreational activities such as
swimming, boating, and fishing. Many dams are built for more than one purpose water
in a single reservoir can be used for fishing, to generate hydroelectric power, and to
support an irrigation system. Dams can also include intake structures that deliver water
to a power station or to canals, tunnels, or pipelines designed to convey the water
stored by the dam to far-distant places. The famous dam in Villupuram was Veedur
dam, on the GST road or NH 45 and It is a piece of the bank of the 4.5km long dam,
as it is a prime road led to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. When there is a good
monsoon rain and following last year the dam had reached its full level again, and
surplus water was released into the Gingee river.

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VEEDUR DAM

The Veedur Dam was built-in 1959 during the regime of K. Kamaraj, the then
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and President of the Indian National Congress, at the
initiative of Kakkan, who was the Minister of Public Works Department. Kamaraj,
also known as Kingmaker, constructed many dams in the state during his regime, and
each one of them was a marvel in engineering, the Veedur dam was the smallest and
last dam he constructed before the end of his regime.The dam is built on the merging
point of two different rivers, called Sankaraparani and Thondi, at the village of Veedur
from where the dam got its name, Veedur Dam. The dam serves as a source of
drinking water and agriculture for more than 100 villages, including Vikravandi,
Mailam, Vanur, and Pondicherry.

The Veedur Reservoir project consists of a storage reservoir built across the
Varahanathi in Tindivanam taluk in 1957-59 for a length of 19,540 feet. This project
converted several acres of barren lands in Tindivanam and Villupuram taluks into
arable areas. During the monsoon, the dam opens for irrigation irrigate 3,200 acres of
which 1,000 acres are stretched in Pondicherry state .It is now a major source of
irrigation for villages in Villupuram district and the neighboring Union Territory of
Puducherry.

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 The Veedur Dam is about 150 km from Chennai on the GST road, and it
located in Veedur village in Villupuram district's Tindivanam Taluk, is on the verge of
reaching full capacity due to heavy rains in the Gingee area and welcomes by an arch
that marks the road leading to the dam and the park. The door of the dam was opened
at around 7 am today due to the continuous influx of water into the Veedur dam
Though the day was sunny, it wasn’t hot and the cool breeze was enough to create
small waves in the water to crash like the sea.

Since it was Sunday, some people had arrived on bikes and cars, but it
was not crowded enough to scare us. There is a road to climb on the dam, though the
vehicles are allowed only near the shutter area, it was more than enough for me to get
the view of the dam. The water level at the dam was up to the rim, and we could see
water spill out of the shutters (when we cross the downstream area) when the wind
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blows strong.

SPECIFICATIONS

The dam is made up of concrete. The canal system of the reservoir

comprises 17.6 km, of which 16.3 km passes through Tamil Nadu and 1.3 km
through Puducherry. and With a full capacity of 32 feet, the Veedur Dam is
currently approaching 31 feet. Following this, a flood warning has been issued
to the people along the banks of the Sankara Bharani river. Excess water is
being discharged from the dam.

The Veedur Reservoir project consists of a storage reservoir built

across the Varahanathi in Tindivanam taluk in 1957-59 for a length of 19,540
feet. This project converted several acres of barren lands in Tindivanam and
Villupuram taluks into arable areas. The scheme was intended to irrigate 3,200
acres of which 1,000 acres are stretched in Pondicherry state. The total cost of
the project including direct and indirect charges was Rs.67.49 lakhs to be
shared in the proportion of 11:5 by the Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry states.

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 Total height of concrete dam 32 feet

Earth dam 37 feet

Long earth dam 4.8 km only 430 feet is a

concrete dam

Length 19,540 feet

Capacity 32 feet

Besides the 9 spillway shutters, there are 3 Tainter gates - a type

of radial arm floodgates used in dams and canal locks to control water flow .
The dam has two little parks, one at the entrance of the road, beside the
archway, and another close to the dam provides some nice shadows to the
visitors and play area for kids.

The view of the dam park and car parking Driving down to downstream through the shadowy
park

REFERENCE

1. Jeevan's World: Veedur Dam, near Villupuram (jeevansworld.blogspot.com)

2. https://www.google.com/travel/entity/key/
ChkI4ZXho7WYwNAZGg0vZy8xMWR4ZGZ2Zjg0EAQ/overview?
utm_campaign=sharing&utm_medium=link&utm_source=htls&ts=CAEaBAoCGg
AqBAoAGgA
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