Massanjore Dam: A Hydroelectric Power and Tourist Destination

 

Massanjore Dam, popularly known as the Canada Dam, was constructed across the Mayurakshi river and is surrounded by forests and hills. It was constructed in 1955. The dam is 34.4 m high and 609.6 m long. Around 50,000 acres of agrarian land are irrigated with the help of water coming from this dam. The dam was constructed with the motive of generating hydroelectric power.

The reservoir has an area of 67.4 square kilometers when entire and a storage capacity of 620,000,000 cubic meters. The length of the overflow section is 225.60 m and is controlled by 21 bays, each 9.144 m wide. The design discharge is 4.446 cumecs. The whole reservoir level is 121.34 m and the flood level is 122.56 m. It cost Rs. 16.10 crore.

It was the first hydel project to come up in West Bengal, with the assistance of the Canadian government. 

Things To DO In Massanjore Dam

It is on the Suri-Dumka road, about 24 km from Dumka in Jharkhand, and about 45 km from Suri in West Bengal. Buses ply this road. Hill climbing or swimming is enjoyable. The broad river, mountains, and Jharkhand give their identity everywhere. At night, the total ambiance changes.

How to Reach Massanjore Dam :

• By Air: The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Airport, Kolkata which is approx 300 Km from here.

• By Train: The nearest railway station to massanjore dam Dumka Railway Station is at a distance of approx 30 Km from and also approx 35 Km from Suri Railway Station.

• By Road: It is connected to the District of Jharkhand and West Bengal by Road. It is at a distance of approx 30 Km from Dumka and 70 Km from Tarapith (Rampurhat).

Massanjore Accommodation

Massanjore dam tourist lodge

• Mayurakshi Bhavan is run by the irrigation department.

• Massanjore youth hostel is also a good place to stay in Massanjore.

Massanjore dam, recently on news reports is situated in Jharkhand although it is maintained by the irrigation and waterways department of West Bengal. The dam is made upon river Mayurakshi primarily for irrigation purposes in the Bardhaman and Birbhum districts of West Bengal. It has also 22 megawatts of hydroelectricity facilities. The place should be visited during monsoon. The weekends generally produce a huge rush of local tourists. There is an irrigation bungalow and some private hotels to stay with. The green hillocks, the cloudy sky, the rain and the release of water from the barrage, the chirping of birds, and a very calm moonlit night all these beckon massanjore.

Mayurakshi River

Mayurakshi River

Mayurakshi River is also called Mor River, It is a major river in Jharkhand and West Bengal, India, with a long history of devastating floods. The Massanjore dam ( across the Mayurakshi, was commissioned in 1955.

It has its source in Trikut Hills, about 16 kilometers from Deoghar in Jharkhand state. It flows through Jharkhand and then through the districts of Birbhum and Murshidabad in West Bengal before flowing into the Hooghly River. The river is about 250 kilometers