Constructed across River Chimoni, a tributary of Karuvannur River, Chimmony Dam is located near the village Echippara in Mukundapuram taluka of Thrissur District of Kerala. The dam lies in the watershed areas of Kurumali Rriver. The dam, the artificial lake formed by it called the Chimmony Reservoir and the Chimmony Wild Life Sanctuary surrounding these are encircled by hills of the southern Western Ghats, making the area naturally beautiful and scenic.

The construction of the Chimmony Dam started in 1984 and it was fully functional and dedicated to the nation in 1996. An artificial lake or the Chimmony Resorvoir has been created by the dam which covers an area of 10 sq. kms and is on an average 20 metres deep. The valley created by the river has many rubber plantations that have replaced the tropical rain forests of the region.

Apart from the water for irrigation that the dam provides, it is also a spot for tourists to visit. People in the area visit this place to enjoy a relaxing picnic as there are recreational activities such as boating or trekking through Chimmony Wild Life Sanctuary available here.

Purpose

The main purpose of the dam was to help in the irrigation of land in Thrissur district. It was also proposed to use the Dam to produce hydro electrical power of 2.5MW. This hydro electric project is still underway and has not yet started producing the planned electric power.

There are no canals constructed in this irrigation project. The water of the Chimmony Reservoir is made available to the Kole land fields, which are wetlands with distinct methods of cultivation of Thrissur District through river and existing canal system by means of regulators at various places. It is now possible to raise two crops in an area of 13000 hectares. The dam provides water supply to many parts of Thrissur district.

Get In

Chimmony Dam and Chimmony Wild Life Sanctuary are easily accessible by air, rail and road.

Nearest  Airports

Kochi and Coimbatore are the nearest International Airports that have good connections with the Middle East and the Far East. Kochi International Airport is only 51 kms and can be reached by road in less than an hour. The airport is equipped with all modern facilities and there are many hotels of different grades in the vicinity. Coimbatore International Airport is in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu and is 121 kms away from the dam.

Nearest Railheads

Thrissur is the nearest important railway station which is at a distance of 39 kms. from the Dam. It is the busiest railway station in Kerala that has all major mail, express and passenger trains of the Southern from all over the country passing through it. However, tourists can also reach the sanctuary from Chalakuddy Railway Station 31 kms away since all important trains also stop here.

Road Connectivity

Thrissur town, head quarters of Thrissur District falls on NH47 Salem - Ernakulam Highway. The road from Thrissur town to the Dam is also motorable and Kerala State Transport buses, private taxis and cars ply from the town to the Dam Site and also to Echippara, headquarters of Chimmony Wild Life Sanctuary which is 24 kms from Thrissur.

Distance by Road from Chimmony Dam  to Major Towns in Kerala

See

Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a protected national sanctuary in 1984. It is located in Mukundapuram taluk of Thrissur District of Kerala state, on the lower slopes of the Western Ghats called Nelliyampathi hills and covers an area of about 100 kms. There are three dams that surround the sanctuary; Chimmony Dam, Peechi Dam built across the Manali River and Mangalam Dam across the River Cherukunnapuzha, a tributary of River Manali and also touches Peechi- Vazhani Wild Life Sanctuary and Parambikulam Wild Life Sanctuary, thus extending the protected area for flora and fauna to a continuous and large area. Chimmony Dam lies within the sanctuary which has a wide variety of forests including evergreen forest, semi ever green forest and leaf shedding or deciduous forest. One can find deer, elephants, wolves, and rare species of birds and reptiles. There are trekking facilities and trekking paths in the sanctuary for the adventure traveler and avid nature photographer.