Bharathappuzha
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Basin area, km2
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:
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6186
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Basin area in Kerala State, km2
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:
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4400
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District of Kerala in which basin are located
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:
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Palakkad, Malapuram, Trissur
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Basin area in neighbouring State, km2
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:
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1786 ( Tamil Nadu )
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Origin of River
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Annamalai Hills Elevation. m : 1964
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Length of main stream, km
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:
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209
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Main tributaries
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:
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Gayathripuzha, Chitturpuzha, Kalpathipuzha, Thuthapuzha
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Average annual rainfall, mm
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:
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2300
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Average annual streamflow, Mm3
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:
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5082.9
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Important rainguage stations marked on the map (with code numbers)
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:
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1. Pattambi (1)
2. Shoranur(2)
3. Ottapalam(3)
4. Olavakode (4)
5. Palakkad(5)
6. Chittur (6)
7. Ponnani (7)
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Important discharge stations marked on the map (With code numbers)
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1. Kuttipuram (1)
2. Thirthala (2)
3. Thiruvengapura (3)
4. Cheruthuruthi (4)
5. Cheerakuzhi (5)
6. Manakadavu (6)
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Water requirement for wetland for three crops, Mm3
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:
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4458
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Water requirement for gardenland , Mm3
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:
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226
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Water requirement for domestic use (2021 AD), Mm3
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:
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338
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Water requirement for industrial use (2021 AD), Mm3
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:
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450
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Existing major/medium irrigation project (commissioned/ partially commissioned)
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:
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Walayar, Malampuzha, Cheerakuzhi, Gayathri, Pothundi, Mangalam
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Major/medium irrigation projects under construction
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:
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Kanjirapuzha, Chitturpuzha
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Navigate length of river, km
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:
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40
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(Note: The Bharathappuzha (Indian River), also known as Nila, & the Nile of Kerala. It is the second-longest river in Kerala, after the Periyar River. The word "Nila" indicates the culture more than just a river. Nila has groomed the culture and life of south Malabar part of Kerala. We see the name "Peraar" indicating the same river in ancient scripts and documents. For the first 40 km or so, the Bharathappuzha follows an almost northerly course till Pollachi. At Parli both Kannadippuzha and Kalpathippuza merge and flow as Bharathappuzha and follows a westerly course until it empties into the Arabian Sea at Ponnani. Thootha River merges with Nila at Pallippuram. As Thootha river is rich in water, after its merger, Nila becomes thicker in flow. The river is not navigable along most of its course except the small stretch where it joins the sea. Bharathapuzha basin is the largest among all the river basins in Kerala. Though Bharathapuzha has a large basin, the water flow is relatively less compared to other long rivers in Kerala because a large portion of the basin is located in the comparatively drier regions (Tamil Nadu and Palakkad Gap). The construction of a number of dams after independence has also reduced the river flow. In fact in the summer months, there is almost no flow in most parts of the river. The Bharathappuzha is the lifeline of many cities and villages; (in Chittur, Bharathappuzha is known as "Sokanasini", this name was given by Thunjathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan), (Chittur-Thathamangalam,) (Kodumbu-Thiruvalathur) Palakkad, (Parli-Kottayi), (Mankara-Perigottukurissi ), (Lakkidi-ThiruvilwamalaKillikkurussimangalam, Ottappalam, Shoranur, Cheruthuruthy Pattambi, Thrithala, Thiruvegappura, Kudallur, Pallipuram and Kumbidi. The village of Parudur, including the town of Pallipuram, stand near the confluence of this river and the River Thootha or, simply, Thuthapuzha. The Bharathappuzha is extensively dammed and there are six reservoirs along the course of the river, and two more are under construction. Malampuzha dam is the largest among the reservoirs built across Bharathapuzha and its tributaries. Other dams in the Bharathapuzha basin are: Walayar dam, Mangalam dam, Pothundi dam, Meenkara dam, Chuliyar dam and Kanhirappuzha dam. Most of these reservoirs serve the purpose of irrigation only. A total area of 773 km² is irrigated by these irrigation projects. One irrigation dam at Chittur in Attappadi Hills is under construction. The construction of these two dams will increase the area irrigated by another 542 km². Another major project is the Regulator cum bridge at Thrithala built on the Velliyankallu bridge inaugurated by Kerala Chiefminister VS Achyudanandan. The bridge connects the two villages Pallippuram and Thrithala. The main objective of the regulator is drinking watersupply. The water supply projects towards Thrissur district has already started. The shutter height of the regulator is 5 m and it can contain a huge quantity of water. Also the new bridge reduces the distance from Thrissur to Kozhikode by 11 km. This project is the largest in Bharathappuzha in last many decades. Bharathappuzha is the lifeline of Kerala's cultural map.)