| Bharathapuzha | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Labelled map of Bharathappuzha | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Anamalai Hills |
| • location | Tamil Nadu,India |
| • coordinates | 10°21′00″N77°04′24″E / 10.35000°N 77.07333°E /10.35000; 77.07333 |
| • elevation | 2,461 m (8,074 ft) |
| Mouth | Lakshadweep Sea[2] |
• location | Ponnani,Kerala |
• coordinates | 10°47′12″N75°54′39″E / 10.78667°N 75.91083°E /10.78667; 75.91083 |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 209 km (130 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 6,186 km2 (2,388 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | mouth |
| • average | 161 m3/s (5,700 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Thuthapuzha,Gayathripuzha,Kalpathipuzha,Kannadipuzha,Tirur River |
| Basin High Point | Thanakku Malai (2513m) |
TheBharathappuzha ("River ofBhārata"), also known as theNila River orPonnani River,[3] is a river in theIndian states ofTamil Nadu andKerala. With a length of 209 km,[1] it is the second longest river that flows through Kerala after thePeriyar.[4] It flows through thePalakkad Gap, which is also the largest opening in the Kerala portion of theWestern Ghats.[5] The Nila has groomed the culture and life ofSouth Malabar part of Kerala. It is also referred to as the "Peraar" in ancient scripts and documents. River Bharathapuzha is an interstate river and lifeline water source for a population residing in four administrative districts, namelyMalappuram andPalakkad districts, and parts ofPalakkad-Thrissur district border ofKerala andCoimbatore, andTiruppur ofTamil Nadu. The fertileThrissur-Ponnani Kole Wetlands lie on its bank.
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The river originates in Tamil Nadu, Thirumoorthy Dam. Once it enters Kerala, it gets significance and has five names - Bharathappuzha, Ponnani River, Nila, Perar, and Kuttippuram River, of which the first name is more popular. The river meets theLakshadweep Sea at an 'azhi' (estuary), the southern part of which is known asPonnani and northern part asPadinjarekkara. Thus the river gets the name Ponnani River.[3] After the construction of the famousKuttippuram bridge over Bharathappuzha to connectKozhikode withKochi, the name Kuttippuram River also became familiar.
The headwaters of the maintributary of Bharathapuzha originates from various parts of theWestern Ghats near theAnamailai hill ranges inTamil Nadu as small rivulets, and flows westward throughPalakkad Gap, (also known as Palghat gap) acrossPalakkad andMalappuram districts of Kerala, with many tributaries joining it, including theTirur River. For the first 40 km or so, the Bharathappuzha follows an almost northerly course tillPollachi nearCoimbatore. AtParli, theKannadipuzha andKalpathipuzha River merge and flow as Bharathappuzha, following a westerly course until it empties into theLakshadweep Sea atPonnani.[2] At Mayannur, Gayathripuzha merges with the river. TheThuthapuzha merges with the Nila atPallippuram. As the Thootha River is rich in water, after its merger, the Nila becomes thicker inflow.
The river is not navigable along most of its course except the small stretch where it joins the sea. With awatershed of 6,186 km2, the Bharathapuzha basin is the largest among all the river basins in Kerala. A little more than two-thirds of this area (4400 km2) is within Kerala and the remaining area (1786 km2) is in Tamil Nadu. Though Bharathapuzha has a large basin, the water flow is relatively less compared to other longrivers 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 afterindependence has also reduced the river flow. In fact, in the summer months, there is almost no flow in most parts of the river.The Bharathapuzha is the lifeline of many cities and villages: Chittur-Thathamangalam (in Chittur, Bharathappuzha is known as "Sokanasini"; this name was given by Thunjathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan), Kodumbu-Thiruvalathur,Palakkad, Parli-Kottayi, Mankara-Perigottukurissi, Lakkidi-Thiruvilwamala,Killikkurussimangalam,Ottappalam,Shoranur,Cheruthuruthy,Chelakkara,Pattambi,Thrithala,Thiruvegappura,Kudallur,Pallipuram andKumbidi. The village ofParudur, including the town of Pallipuram, stands near the confluence of this river and the River Thootha or, simply,Thuthapuzha. Then it goes throughKuttipuram,Tirunavaya,Irimbiliyam,Thavanur,Triprangode, andPonnani.Thuthapuzha passes through Malappuram-Palakkad district border through Thootha,Elamkulam, andPulamanthole.Tirur River goes throughAthavanad,Tirur,Mangalam,Purathur,Triprangode, andVettom.
The Bharathappuzha is extensively dammed. There are 11reservoirs 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 areWalayar Dam,Mangalam Dam,Pothundi Dam, Meenkara Dam, Chulliyar Dam,Thirumoorthy,Aliyar, Upper Aliyar, Chitturpuzha regulator andKanjirapuzha 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. The bridge connects the two villagesPallippuram andThrithala. The main objective of the regulator is the drinking water supply. The water supply projects towards Thrissur district has already started. The shutter height of the regulator is 5 meters, and it can contain a huge quantity of water. Also, the new bridge reduces the distance fromThrissur toKozhikode by 11 km. This project is the largest in Bharathappuzha in the last many decades. Fish species once thought to be almost extinct have come back remarkably due to the increased water level during summer. Special note is to be made on the species called 'Vaala' considered to be the king of fresh water fishes. Individual 'Vaala' weighing 5 to 10 kg are now common.
Bharathappuzha is the lifeline of Kerala's cultural map.Kerala Kalamandalam, which is a major center for learning Indian performing arts likeKathakali,Koodiyattam andOttamthullal, is situated at Cheruthuruty on the banks of this river—in Thrissur district. The birthplace of famous Malayalam satire poet and founder of the Ottamthullal art form,Kunchan Nambiar, is located at Killikkurissimangalam near Lakkidi, again on the banks of the Nila.Tholpavakoothu (around 65 temples are situated in the banks of river Nila) is a unique shadow puppet play mainly performed in the Bhadar Kali temple in the Malabar region.Azhvanchery Thamprakkal, who were the titular head of allNambudiriBrahmins of Kerala had their land inPalakkad and laterAthavanad-Tirunavaya region, situated on the basin of the river Bharathappuzha. TheKerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics flourished between 14th and 16th centuries ofCommon Era inTirur-Tirunavaya-Triprangode region on the bank of the river Bharathappuzha. Leading Malayalam writers who were born along its banks includeUroob,Edasseri Govindan Nair,Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri,M. T. Vasudevan Nair,M. Govindan,V. K. N.,O. V. Vijayan,Kuttikrishna Marar, andM. Sukumaran. Late poetP. Kunhiraman Nair, a native of North Malabar, drew literary inspiration from the scenic beauty of the landscape along the Bharatapuzha.Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan andVallathol Narayana Menon were born at the banks ofTirur River, which can be described as a tributary of the river Bharathappuzha. Many of the main members of the medievalKerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics, includingMelpathur Narayana Bhattathiri, were also born near Tirur River.Poonthanam Namboothiri andE. M. S. Namboodiripad was born nearPerinthalmanna, at the bank of Thootha river, which is another tributary of the river Bharathappuzha.There are a number of famous Hindu temples likeThiruvilwamala Temple,ThirunavayaNavamukunda Temple,Vairankode Bhagavathy Temple,[6] Chamravattam AyyappaTemple andPanniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple on the bank of Nila.Arabi Malayalam script, also known as Ponnani script, was also born out on its bank.
Legend says that those cremated on the banks of the Bharathappuzha achieve salvation. It is also one of the important places in the state where the sons pay homage to their late fathers by conducting aPithru Tharpanam ritual on theKarkidaka Vavu day. Some of the famous persons cremated here include literary personalities like O V Vijayan and VKN.
The river went through a series of challenges which saw its degradation that has reached a point of no return. The erratic, non-conservative attitude of people has resulted in much of its water becoming not potable.Until a few decades back, the river used to flow effortlessly during even intense summer. However, due to thesand mining in the last 30 years, the thick sand bed has been completely vanished and has then been replaced withgrasses andbushes which has become an environmental catastrophe.[citation needed]At the peak of the sand mining period in the mid 1990s at least 40-50lorries carrying tonnes of pristine sands were a common sight at each 'kadavu' (entrance to the river) of the river. Considering the hundreds of 'kadavu' throughout its length, the amount of sand mined in these years is unimaginable. Today, with almost no sand in many parts of the river, people have started mining sand from underwater which has become a profitable business for many.[citation needed] Significant changes in the climatic pattern also altered the flow pattern in the river. Studies reported that there is a significant dip in the total annual rainfall[7] and significant increase in the annual temperature in the basin.[8]
The river now faces significant challenges for its survival. It is predicted that the river may change its course due to the obstruction of the tall grasses and bushes that has grown in the river.Illegal sand mining mafias are very active and the nexus between the politicians, bureaucrats and these mafias make it extremely difficult to stop this. Organisations which were once very active have now gone on hibernation due to the threat posed by them. Environmentalists have predicted dire consequences and the untimely death of the river within the near future. The wastes from the hospitals and other sources pollute the water.[citation needed]
Social networking sites like Facebook have active groups with a purpose of saving the river named as Bharathappuzha Samrakhshana Samithi.[9]
Friends of Bharathapuzha, a nature lovers' collective, is being formed with the objective of strengthening and protecting the Bharathapuzha. It is led by E.M. Sreedharan, veteran engineer popularly known as 'Metroman'.[10]
Environmentalists suggest the followings actions for saving the river.[citation needed]
Two main branches meet at Kuttipuram and flow to the Arabian Sea. Each in turn has several branches as shown in the diagram.List of the tributaries sorted in order from the mouth heading upstream.
