Kallada River
The Kallada River is the longest river in
River Course
The Kallada originates from the south eastern part of the Kollam district. The river originates as multiple streams arising from the Shendurney wildlife sanctuary. The most prominent among these are the Kazhuthuruttiyaaru, which arises from Rosemala and Ambanad Hills and flows southward, the Kulathupuzha river that flows northward from near the Ponmudi hills and the windward side of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, and west flowing streams that arise from the windward side of the Courtallam Hills. These major streams that form the river meet at Thenmala Dam.
The river flows through the towns of Kulathupuzha, Thenmala, Ottackal, Ayiranalloor, Edamon, Punalur, Nedumkayam, Kamukumchery and Pathanapuram. It then enters the plains where it flows alongside Pattazhy, Enathu, Mannadi, Kunnathur, Iverkala Puthoor, Pavithreswaram, Munroe Island and West Kallada. The river's estuary is situated near West Kallada, where it empties into Ashthamudi lake and thence into the Arabian Sea.
At
Industries along the river
There were many industries flourishing on the banks of the Kallada during the British Period.
Sand mining along the banks of the river is a cause of concern, because it makes them more vulnerable to erosion and floods.
Kallada Irrigation Project
Kallada Irrigation project (KIP) is the largest
The project was planned to irrigate a net cultivable command area of 61,630 ha (152,300 acres). During the course of execution some canals including the Kayamkulam Branch canal were dropped, and now this project is benefiting a net cultivable area of only 53,514 ha (132,240 acres) in 92 villages. Head work was completed during 1986. Now fully operational, the right bank main canal was partially commissioned during 1986 and the left bank main canal during 1992.[2]
The Left Bank Main canal is 56.016 km (34.807 mi) in length and the Right Bank Main canal is 69.752 km (43.342 mi) in length. The Branch Canal of the left bank canal is 61.692 km (38.334 mi) long and that of the Right Branch canal is 47.573 km (29.560 mi).[3] The canals begin from Ottakkal Lookout near Thenmala.
See also
- Ithikkara River
- Thenmala
- Munroe Island
- Punalur
- East Kallada
References
- ^ "Punalur Paper Mills reopened". The Hindu. 13 September 2015.
- ^ "Kallada River". india9. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ "Kallada Irrigation Project | Irrigation-kerala". irrigation.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 30 October 2021.