BANGALORE: The memories of sand embankments built with a lot excitement with the onset of monsoons on school playgrounds or courtyards were rekindled when the sign board, some 20 kms off Kalpetta in Wayanad, Kerala read: ‘Banasura Sagar Earth Dam - Second largest earth dam in Asia’.While the sand dams from childhood were mainly experiments in biology — remember how the stagnant water showed the entire life cycle of frogs and mosquitoes — the dam helps generate electricity that powers Kozhikode and supplies water for irrigation in southern parts of the Wayanad district during the summers.Situated near the district headquarters, Kalpetta, the road curves and rolls around the several hills that dot the Western Ghats. If you approach the dam from Vythiri, then the delight is unadulterated. Glimpses of water sneak in between the hills, around houses and plantations. With every curve, a different view of the reservoir is presented to the viewer.However, the entrance of the dam was a spoiler with plastic littered all around. Any effort to find a dustbin too proved fruitless. But, these were just distractions from the sight that presented itself after a 500 meter walk and a climb of an equal distance — a vast expanse of water, protected by hills, and dotted with islands.The clouds played with water and the hills, typically referred to in Malayalam as Prakruthindte Vigurthi (mischief of nature).“Earlier, there was an entire township in this area. Those were the times of ‘building the nation’ and the people were relocated elsewhere. Even now, we can see dense civilisation all around the reservoir,” explains Sukumaran, a resident of the area.It is a matter of pride for people here to host the second largest earth dam. The speciality here is that the water is contained by a sand embankment, unlike the usual rock or concrete. “It is an age-old practise to contain water. In the 1980’s, when the dam was being constructed, we used to visit the town. Do you know that the water from here flows into a natural underground tunnel? That is how the water reaches the hydel energy project neat Calicut,” says Ravichandran, a shopkeeper selling eatables near the entrance. With that bit of history, the scene gained more importance. The well-laid road on the reservoir bund allows for a peaceful walk. One end leads to the sluice gates, access to which requires permission. On the other side of the road lies the tourist attractions that brings in several bus-loads of people during the weekends. A small flower garden that extends into a small park of tropical trees. Delightful swings — flat wooden pieces tied with plastic ropes — are found on each tree. Familes come together to play in these swings reviving memories of a not so distant past.A little further down, a jetty hosts speed boats and pedal boats. The former is a big favourite among the visitors. Well, who would not like the wind blowing your hair, a spray of water tingling your skin, and speeding away into a vast expanse of water, interspersed with islands of green.
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