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Question 4 of 12 · Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India
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The Mettur Dam, built on the Kaveri river, is located in:

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Answer: Option C — Tamil Nadu

Detailed Solution

The Mettur Dam, officially called the Stanley Reservoir, is built across the Kaveri (Cauvery) river at Mettur in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, where the river enters the plains from the hills. It was built by the British between 1925 and 1934, designed by the engineer W.M. Ellis, and is one of the oldest and largest dams in India. It is named after Sir George Frederick Stanley, the then Governor of Madras.

The dam is used mainly for irrigation in the Kaveri delta region, especially in the districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam, often called the "Rice Bowl of Tamil Nadu". It also provides drinking water and generates hydroelectric power. The traditional opening of the Mettur Dam's sluices on 12 June every year for the delta's kuruvai (short-term) paddy crop is an important event for farmers.

The Kaveri river:

  • It rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri hills of the Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka, in the Western Ghats.
  • It flows south-east through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and enters the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar (Kaveripattinam).
  • Its length is about 800 kilometres.

In Karnataka, it forms the islands of Srirangapatna and Shivanasamudra, and the Shivanasamudra Falls, where Asia's first hydroelectric power station was set up in 1902. The Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam, near Mysuru, is in Karnataka.

In Tamil Nadu, it forms the Hogenakkal Falls and the island of Srirangam, and the ancient Kallanai (Grand Anicut), built by the Chola king Karikala around the 2nd century CE, one of the oldest water-diversion structures in the world still in use.

Its tributaries include the Hemavati, Kabini, Harangi, Shimsha, Arkavathi, Bhavani, Noyyal and Amaravati.

The Kaveri receives rain from both the south-west monsoon (in its upper catchment in Karnataka) and the north-east monsoon (in Tamil Nadu), so it flows throughout the year.

The sharing of Kaveri waters has been a long-standing dispute among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. The Supreme Court gave its final verdict in 2018, and the Cauvery Water Management Authority was set up to implement it.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Karnataka has the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam on the Kaveri.
  • ✗Kerala and Andhra Pradesh do not have the Mettur Dam.

Quick tip

Remember: Mettur Dam (Stanley Reservoir) = Kaveri, Salem, Tamil Nadu; KRS Dam = Karnataka; Kallanai (Grand Anicut) = Karikala Chola; Kaveri rises at Talakaveri (Kodagu).

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Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Rivers, Lakes & Dams of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India's drainage system: the Himalayan rivers (the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra systems), the peninsular rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi and Mahanadi), their tributaries and origins, waterfalls, lakes, and the major dams and multipurpose river projects. Exams ask about the origin of a river, its tributaries, the cities on its banks, and the river on which a dam is built. For example, the Bhakra Nangal Dam is on the Sutlej, the Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi, and the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada. Remember that the Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea, while most peninsular rivers flow east. Practise the rivers, lakes and dams of India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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