Bhavani River

Hydrography

The Bhavani is a 234 km long perennial river fed by monsoons. The river originates at an altitude of 2634 m in the Billimala range of the Nilgiris in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu. It flows westwards towards the Silent Valley National Park in Kerala, before later turning eastwards and flowing through the Attappadi valley in Palakkad district. Later, it re-enters Tamil Nadu, and flows through the districts of Nilgiris, Coimbatore, and Erode. The river basin covers an area of 1410 km2. Various rivulets and tributaries join the Bhavani river during its course. Major tributaries include the Moyar, and Siruvani Rivers. Bhavani is one of the major tributaries of the Kaveri, which it joins at the Kooduthurai near Bhavani.

Industrial, municipal and agricultural pollution of the river results in poor water quality and negative impacts on the health of people, plants and animals dependent on the river water.

Dams and canals

In Tamil Nadu, the Upper Bhavani dam is constructed close to the source of the Bhavani river in Nilgiris, and the Bhavanisagar dam in the lower reaches of the river in the plains. After multiple proposals since the early 19th century, the upper and lower Bhavani projects were implemented in the mid 20th century. There are multiple minor check dams and irrigation canals constructed across the river in Kerala, largely constructed in the 21st century.

;Bhavanisagar

The Bhavanisagar dam is located on the Bhavani river in Erode district. The dam is one of the largest earthen dams in the world. The dam is situated some 16 km west of Sathyamangalam. The Lower Bhavani Project was the first major irrigation project initiated in independent India in 1948. The dam was completed in 1955 at a cost of and was opened in 1956.

The dam is 8 km long and 40 m high, with a full reservoir level of 120 ft and a capacity of 32.8 e9cuft. The dam has two hydel power stations, one on the east bank canal and the other on the river. Each has a capacity of 16 MW for a total capacity of 32 MW.

;Kodiveri

The Kodiveri dam is located on the Bhavani River near Gobichettipalayam in Erode district. A channel was excavated at Kodiveri in 1125 CE by Kongalvan, a chieftain under the rule of Chola king Kulottunga I. The dam was constructed in the 17th century by Maharaja of Mysore. The dam feeds the Arakkankottai and Thadappalli canals constructed for irrigation.

;Kalingarayan Anicut Kalingarayan Anicut is located near Bhavani in Erode district. The 90.5 km long Kalingarayan canal, originating from the anicut, irrigates about 15,743 acre of agricultural land. The project, including construction of the dam and canal, started in 1271 and was completed in 1283. It was constructed by Kongu chieftain Kalingarayan.{{cite news

References

References

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17. (17 August 2015). "A watery break from routine". Covai Post.
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19. (20 June 2011). "Kalingarayan sluices opened, Erode all set for farming". [[The Hindu]].