Kallada River

Kallada River/Kulathupuzha River ( കല്ലടയാർ/കുളത്തൂപ്പുഴയാർ ) is the longest river in Kollam District ,Kerala, India.The river originates in Kulathupuzha, part of Western Ghats and flows west reaching Arabian Sea after travelling a distance of 120km.

River Course

The Kallada river originates in the Shendurney wildlife sanctuary in the eastern part of the Kollam district. Thenmala Dam is contructed on this river. It 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, Ennathu, Kunnathur, Puthoor, Pavithreswaram, Munroe Island and Kallada. The river's estuary is situated at Kallada where it empties into the Ashthamudi lake through which it flows into the Arabian Sea.

At Punalur, a Suspension Bridge (Punalur Suspension Bridge) was constructed in the year 1877 across the river by the Travancore Kingdom in British Style. Kallada Boat Race (Kallada Jalotsavam) is one of the most famous boat races held in the state. The boat race is an annual event which takes place at the 28th day after Onam. It is held on the "Muthira Parambu - Karuvathra Kadavu" in the course of the River. Sasthamcotta Lake is the largest fresh water lake in Kerala and provides drinking water for most regions in the Kollam district. Except for an earthen embankment of 1.5 km length which separates the lake from the paddy fields on its southern side, bordering the alluvial plains of the Kallada River, all other sides of the lake are surrounded steep hills.

Industries along the river

There were many industries flourishing on the banks of Kallada river during the British Period. Punalur Paper Mills, established in 1875, is one such major companies which operated on the banks of this river. The effluents discharged from the mill into the river was found to alter the physiochemical factors leading to production of plankton in the mid-1900s. The mill was embroiled in a labour dispute, and was closed in 1987. It was reopened in 2015, after legal resolutions.^[1]

Sand mining is a cause of concern along the banks of this river, because it makes the banks more vulnerable to erosion and floods.

Kallada Irrigation Project

Kallada irrigation project(KIP) is the largest irrigation project in Kerala. The command area of this project is distributed over Kollam, Pathanamthitta district and Alappuzha district and covers Punalur, Pathanapuram, Kottarakkara, Kollam, Kunnathur, Karunagappally, Adoor, Mavelikkara and Karthikappally Taluks. The project was planned to irrigate net cultivable command area of 61630 Ha. During the course of execution few canals including Kayamkulam Branch canal were dropped and now this project is benefitting net cultivable area of only 53514 Ha in 92 villages. Head work was completed during 1986. Now fully operational, right bank main canal partially commissioned during 1986 and left bank main canal during 1992.^[2]