ABOUT

The Pazhassi Dam also called Kulur Barrage is a stone masonry diversion structure in Kannur district, Kerala, India. It is named after king Pazhassi Raja, a local warrior. The dam is constructed across the west flowing Valapattanam River near VELIYAMBRA. It was commissioned by Prime Minister Morarji Desai in 1979. It mainly functions as an irrigation dam, serving a command area of 11,525 hectares (28,480 acres) in Thalassery and Thaliparambra taluks of the Kannur District. The water from this dam also meets the drinking water requirement of Kannur district. The dam site and the reservoir are famous for their scenic beauty.The dam is built at Kuyiloor across the Valapattanam River, in the basin of the West flowing rivers from Tadri to Kanyakumari. It rises in the Coorg (in Karnataka) at 2,500 feet (760 m) and drains a catchment area of 1,028 square kilometres (397 sq mi). The mean annual rainfall in the catchment is 3,622 millimetres (142.6 in). The nearest towns to the dam site are Mattanur and Iritty