Shivamogga: The water is essential to all, and without it we can’t survive. Karnataka is home for many water resources and challenge for all the Governments that have come to power so far is conserving of the same for drinking, irrigation and industry purposes. One of the measures long taken by every Government whether in Karnataka or in other states is construction of dams and barrages.
Among the many dams in Karnataka, Madenur Dam is known for its uniqueness despite being a small one. Also known as Hirebhaskar Dam, it is built across River Sharavathi between 1939 and 1948. The dam was inaugurated in 1949 and remained functional until the much larger Linganmakki Dam came into existence in mid 1960s. Now Madenur Dam remains submerged in the waters of Linganmakki Reservoir only to surface when the water level dips during the peak summer month of May.
The construction of Madenur Dam was supervised by a Civil Engineer named Ganesh Iyer from the Old Mysuru Region. He was an expert in construction of structures based on the siphon system. The 1150′ (350 metre) dam has 11 siphons, each 18′ wide x 58′ high. The mechanism of siphon system enables water to flow out of the Reservoir automatically when it reaches the optimum level. Besides the siphons, there are 3 crest gates.
Here we go, what more, the wonderful Madenur Dam has survived 50 years of being submerged in water. Due to this, the River here flows from left to right. The first siphon is situated at the East End.