Dhom Dam

At a distance of 21 km from Panchgani & 97 km from Pune, Dhom Dam is an earthfill and gravity dam built on Krishna River near Wai in Satara district of Maharashtra. It is one of the well known picnic spots near Pune for one day trip. The construction of the dam was started in 1976 and completed in 1982. It is one of the largest civil engineering projects in India at that time and also the first dam to be built on Krishna River in Maharashtra. The main purpose of the construction of the Dhom dam was to ensure adequate water supply for industries in the region, for agricultural activities and to supply potable drinking water to the populace of Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar and Wai regions which lie in the vicinity of the dam. The dam is also the chief source of water supply for farmers of Koregaon, Javli and Khandala taluks of Satara. The Dhom dam stands 50 feet tall from the lowest foundation and runs a length of 2,478 m. Water capacity of the lake is 14 TMC while the basement electricity house of the dam is designed to generate 4 MG of electricity. The Dhom Lake is formed by the backwaters of the dam and is about 20 km in length. The Dhom dam attracts tourists in large numbers because of the beautiful natural surroundings and boating activities. For enjoying water activities, tourists can hire water scooters, speed boats, banana boats and motor boats from Sahyadri Boat Club near the dam. The boat club also provides horse riding and camping facility for tourists. The Dhom village was earlier known as Virat Nagar. The place is famous for its scenic beauty and the temples on the river banks. It is one of the places to visit in Panchgani and can include in Panchgani tour packages. Narasimha Temple on the Krishna Ghat is a much-visited place and is a preferred locale by Bollywood for film shooting.