It was a pleasant surprise to know that there is a Dam in Coonoor and what made the visit more exciting was the fact that we had to trek in the striking mountain ridges along the Wellington-Coonoor strips.
It was a walk of more than a Kilometer uphill on wet rugged road strewn with pine leaves and branches. Mushrooms of various sizes had sprouted the entire route along with delicate ferns and moss.
The drive to the Ralliah dam is beautiful, silent, lonely, on winding roads uphill. We spotted the endemic button Quail and alas! They were too quick to get a sharp image.
Construction on the Ralliah dam was commissioned on 16th July 1938 and completed by 1941 by the Municipal Chairman, Coonoor.
The catchment area is 310 acres and the depth is 58 feet.
During monsoons the Ralliah dam fills up enough to supply drinking water to Coonoor town.
Place Statistics:
Type of Place: Dam
Situated: Coonoor, Tamil Nadu
Distance: Ooty 15 Km, Mettupalyam 46 Km, Combatore 100 Km, Mysore 150 Km, Bangalore 290 Km
Transport: Trekking
Facilities: Nil
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This is a beautiful locale, I’d love to go there.
Tell me something, Shantha. When you discover these ‘new’ places, do you use enough caution to travel through them? Is it intimidating sometimes? Nothing is safe these days. And the restrooms are hard to find.
I think you could write your experiences about some of the challenges and difficulties and how you overcame them, and also what stuff to pack for travel etc. That’d be very useful in general for everyone. Just my thoughts.
Thank you,
~Nikhila.
Hi Nikhila,
Good questions. When we visit a place, the first thing we do is have a chat with the travel desk in the place we are staying. They guide you regarding the places to visit and the time to visit such places. For example, when we were in Coonoor, the locals advised us not to visit Law’s falls, but to visit Reliah Dam. We heeded to their advise and we were well rewarded.
Reading about the place before you travel also helps you a lot.
Hope this helps,
Shantha