| Papagni | |
|---|---|
 River bank of Papagni at Gandi Kshetram | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Penna River |
| Length | 200 km (120 mi) |
Papagni River is a non-perennial, inter-state river insouthern India that flows through the states ofKarnataka andAndhra Pradesh. It is a right bank tributary of thePennar river.[1][2]
Pāpāgni is acompound of the wordspāpa (meaning sin) andagni (meaningfire). According to legend a king who once killed an innocent tribal chieftain of theChenchus, who live in this region, was afflicted byleprosy as punishment for his sin. He was supposedly cured of the affliction only after he undertook penance in the Papagni valley and took a dip in the river upon which the river is said to have turned his sins to ashes thus acquiring for itself the namePāpāgni.[3]
The Papagni originates in theNandi Hills ofChikkaballapur district in Karnataka. It is a non-perennial river that is rainfed with its basin receiving 60–80 cm of rainfall annually. It traverses through a region ofgranitic deposits andred soil that is frequently affected bysoil erosion.[4] It drains the districts of Kolar in Karnataka[5] and the districts ofChittoor,Anantapur andKadapa in Andhra Pradesh.[6] The basin covers an area of 8,250 km2. and drains 30mandals of which 21 lie in theRayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh.[7] It joins the Pennar nearKamalapuram in Andhra Pradesh.[8]
Although flowing through a largelysemi-arid region, wet cultivation including that ofpaddy andwheat is undertaken along the Papagni's banks.[9]Black,loamy andred soils are found in the river basin area. 60% of the river basin comprises cultivated,fallow and culturable wastelands while another 15% is under forests.[7] The forests here are mostlydry deciduous forests,thorn forests andscrub. Theyellow-throated bulbul,starred tortoise,red sand boa and theKolar leaf-nosed bat are among the majorthreatened species of fauna found here.[10][11]
The river has faced serious damage in recent years due to various human activities. Unregulated and excessivesand mining in theriverbed has led to fallinggroundwater levels in the river basin, besides damaging civil structures on and near the river and has led to both a deepening of the riverbed and deterioration in the quality of groundwater.[6] Restoration activities under theFoundation for Ecological Security through community participation towards maintenance ofcheck dams, curbing grazing and felling of trees has however led to a revival of the river leading to rising groundwater levels and an increase in tree cover. The success with the Papagni is now being seen as a possible model for the rejuvenation of theArkavathy river in Karnataka.[12]