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Periyar River
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Periyar | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Origin | Sivagiri Hills on Western Ghats |
| Mouth | Arabian Sea |
| Basin countries | India |
| Length | 300 km (244 km in Kerala) |
| Source elevation | 1830 m |
| Avg. discharge | m³/s |
| Basin area | 5396 km² (5284 km² in Kerala) |
The Periyar River is the longest river in the state of Kerala in India with a length of 244 km. The river is also called The lifeline of Kerala as it is one of the few perennial rivers of Kerala.
The Idukki Dam is built across the river and generates the major chunk of electrical power for the state from its many big and small hydroelectric projects. Its water provides drinking water for the major towns.[1] Technically, the dam type is a concrete double, curvature parabolic, thin arc dam.[2]
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It originates in the Western Ghats range in the Tamil Nadu state. It flows north through Periyar National Park into Periyar Lake, an artificial reservoir created in 1895 by the construction of a dam across the river. The lake has an area of 55 km². Water is diverted from the lake into the Vaigai River of Tamil Nadu via a tunnel through the Western Ghats.
From the lake the river flows northwest through the village of Neeleeswaram to empty into Vembanad Lake on the Arabian Sea coast. Its largest tributaries are the Muthirapuzha River, Mullayar River, Cheruthoni River, Perinjankutti River and the Edamala River.
It is the major water resource for five drought prone districts of Tamil Nadu which includes Theni, Madurai, Ramanathapuram. The dam built across the river is maintained by Tamil Nadu PWD department and it is under the control of Tamil Nadu government for 999 years according to a pact between Kerala, Tamil Nadu governments.
- ^ Idukki District Hydroelectric projects. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- ^ Salient Features - Dam. Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- Joseph M., L.,Status Report on Periyar River from Kerala Research Programme on Local Level Development website accessed on 27, August 2006.
- Stephen James Periyar - The silent witness to History
Periyar: A confluence of cultures A lot on Kerala Hillstations
