Mettur Dam, one of the largest dam in South India is located in a town called Mettur in Salem district of Tamil Nadu, India. Mettur is also called the “Aluminium city of Tamil Nadu”. Mettur got its name from the rocky nature of the townland (“town with crests and troughs”), which made the place ideal for the dam on the Cauvery river.
Mettur Dam
The water from this dam is opened during May-July for agricultural land irrigation in the Kaveri delta. The sluice gates of the dam are opened for irrigation in parts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Pudukkottai districts. It is one of the important sources of electricity for TN and has 2 hydroelectric power stations (Dam -40 MW capacity and Tunnel-200MW capacity), 1 thermal power station ( 4 unit of 210 MW & 1 unit of 600 MW) which stands as the baseload power plant for Tamil Nadu Electricity Board TNEB.
Dam Water flow Area
This dam forms Stanley Reservoir which is constructed across the Kaveri River. The maximum height and width of the Dam are 214 and 171 feet respectively and it can store water up to 120 feet. The water to this dam is supplied by Kabini Dam and Krishna Raja Sagara Dam located in Karnataka. Ellis Park is located at the dam base.
Park Path Way
Mettur Dam can be visited in any month of the year, but the peak seasons will be Public holiday days and in the month of Aadi when the Aadi festival is celebrated lavishly. Aadi is one of the Tamil months and the Dam water level is high during this season. All the people from nearby town and village gathers to celebrate it in grand cultural manner.
Dam Near View
Mettur dam is one of the valuable assets for TN. Ellis Park is maintained by Tamil Nadu Public Works Department. The park is very neat and maintained well. You can walk along the park to beautiful places surrounded by flowers and grass lawns. The dam gates are wonderful to see when the shutters are with high-level water flow.
Mettur Dam Top View
Mettur Dam – Low Water Level
The 33-acre park has several amenities, including a children’s play area and large lawn areas. You’ll also be able to find Snakes, Deer, Aquarium, Rabbits, and few Reptiles inside the Park. Tea shops are available inside the park. People are allowed on top of the Dam in particular seasons, most of the time people will not be allowed to visit the top part of the Dam. There is a dam viewpoint few Km away which you can visit and enjoy the beautiful view of the dam.
Inside Park – Snake Cage
Inside Park – Snake Cage
Inside Park – Rabbit Cage
You can also find many fish shops near the park where you’ll be able to get freshly cooked fish dishes. People who love fish must try the dishes for sure. Carrying water bottles as much as possible is advisable. Since the climate will be very hot during the mid-day, use of Sunscreens, Sunglasses are best to overcome the hot day. The place is visited by more people, so expecting a high level of hygiene will result in a disappointment.
The people living on the banks of Cauvery will be alerted for flood safety when there is a huge quantity of water flow through the river once the flood gates are opened when the dam is full.
Inside Park
Ways to Reach Mettur Dam :
The first place you can arrive to reach Mettur dam is Mettur town which is of 2km distance from Mettur Dam. To reach Mettur from any part of the place you have various modes of transportation and the nearest cities are as below,
Nearest Cities: Erode(~56 Km), Salem(~55 Km), Dharmapuri(~69 Km).
Nearest Railway Stations:
- Erode Junction (~57 Km)
- Salem Junction (~48 Km)
Nearest Airport:
- Salem Airport (~43 Km)
You can reach either of the above cities by Bus, Flight, Train as per your travel convenience/plan. From the cities, you can reach Mettur town by bus or own transportation. Frequent bus services are operating from Erode and Salem.
Ticket Fare for Dam Park:
Rs.5/Person
Entry/Exit Timings for Dam Park:
Opened in All weekdays and weekends (Monday-Sunday).
Entry – 9.00 AM
Exit – 6.00 PM
Parking Facility:
Parking is available for all types of Vehicles.
Happy Visiting!
