Vaigai River

12 Nov 2024 14:41:47 pm

Tags : Vaigai River

Topic: Rivers

Why in the news?

In the wake of torrential rainfall, the Vaigai River in Madurai has experienced a significant increase in water flow. The dramatic transformation of the river highlights the challenges posed by flooding and the urgency of water management in the region.

Source: The Times of India

About Vaigai River:

It flows in the Tamil Nadu state of India.
It rises in the Varushanad Hills of the Western Ghats.
It travels through the Pandya Nadu region of Tamil Nadu.
It is the major river in the fabled city of Madurai, the capital of the ancient and prosperous Pandya kingdom located in southern Tamil Nadu.
The river finds a mention in Sangam literature dated to 300 before Common Era.
It is 258 km. long.
It gets major feed from the Periyar Dam in Kerala.
- Water from the Periyar River in Kerala is diverted into the Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu via a tunnel through the Western Ghats.
Its main tributaries are Suruliyaru, Mullaiyaru, Varaganadhi, Manjalaru, Kottagudi, Kridhumaal and Upparu rivers.
It finally empties into the Palk Strait near the Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram district.
It fulfills the drinking water requirements of five districts in Tamil Nadu, namely, Theni, Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai, and Dindigul.
It also provides irrigation for 200,000 hectares of agricultural land.

Torrential Rain:

It refers to the heavy downpour of rain.
The National Weather Service (NWS) defines torrential rain as rain that accumulates at a rate of three-tenths of an inch or more per hour.
Causes:
- The major cause of torrential rain is moisture that moves along the weather fronts.
- The convective clouds cause precipitation to occur when enough moisture rises up due to an upward motion.
- Narrow torrential rain bands come as a result of cumulonimbus clouds.
In mountainous regions, torrential rain falls on one side of the mountain since heavy precipitation occurs on one side of the mountain.