Cheruthoni Dam - A Guide to Visiting the Idukki Reservoir

Construction of the Cheruthoni Dam began in 1963 as part of the Idukki Hydroelectric Project, a major undertaking by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) with technical assistance from Canada. The dam, built across the Cheruthoni River, a tributary of the Periyar, was completed and commissioned in 1976 along with the other two dams in the project. Its main purpose was to create the Idukki reservoir to generate hydroelectric power for the state of Kerala. Cheruthoni is the only dam in the project equipped with spillway gates, making it critical for reservoir management and flood control.

Cheruthoni Dam holds immense significance for Kerala as a cornerstone of its power infrastructure, contributing substantially to the state's electricity generation. Structurally, it is one of the tallest and largest concrete gravity dams in India, making it an engineering point of interest. Its unique role as the spillway for the entire Idukki reservoir makes it operationally critical, especially during heavy monsoons. For visitors, its sheer size and the panoramic views it provides of the Western Ghats make it a popular attraction, especially when opened to the public.