Highlands forms the part of Western Ghats and are covered by rainforests, plantations of coffee, tea and different types of spices like cardamom. As recorded by Hermann Gundert, the whole town was destroyed in fire and was reconstructed later. Hence any occurrence of extreme events is likely to be more catastrophic in nature for the people living in these districts. The wildest lands are covered with dense forests, while other regions lie under tea and coffee plantations (established The wildest lands are covered with dense forests, while other regions lie under tea and coffee plantations (established mainly in the 19th and 20th centuries) or other forms of cultivation. The coast located in the shadow zone with respect to the direction of propagation of the tsunami encountered unexpected devastation. The state of Kerala is divided into 14 revenue districts. Kannur can be geographically divided into highland, midland and lowland regions. Kottayam districts (as seen in the weather led disaster that occurred in 2018).The western flank of the Western Ghats covering the eastern part of Kerala is one of the major landslide prone areas of the country. About 176 people were killed and 1600 injured in the coastal belt. Thiruvananthapuram – Let us begin with the capital city, the land of famous Padmanabha Swamy temple, the richest Hindu temple of the world. The severe impact of the hazard on the state and its people is seen from the very high average casualty rates of 71 deaths, 112 injuries and 188 accidents per annum. ‘Kettuvallam’ (a type of boat) is the cultural symbol of Alappuzha. Even in the years of normal rainfall, summer water scarcity problems are severe in the midland and highland regions. Idukki also tops in topographic isolation among all places of India. The most active time of the day is from 15:00 to 19:00. The increase in population and subsequent expansion in irrigated agriculture, and industrial growth necessitated the exploitation of more water resources. These include the eastern highlands (rugged and cool mountainous terrain), the central midlands (rolling hills), and the western lowlands (coastal plains). The records show that the months April, May, October and November have the highest lightning rates. It’s the highest peak of south India. Wayanad and Kozhikode districts are prone to deep-seated landslides while Idukki and Kottayam are prone to shallow landslides. The district also owns Kerala’s single lake temple, Anantapura Lake Temple, which is believed to be the original seat of famous Padmanabha Swamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram. At the time of formation, Kerala had only five districts: Malabar (part of the erstwhile Madras State ), Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam and Thrissur (together constituting the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin ). Kerala Government. ''The virus is not found in poultry, it is airborne and there is no vaccine for it. The topography consists of a hot and wet coastal plain gradually rising in elevation to the high hills and mountains of the Western Ghats. With heavy rain lashing the district for over 20 hours continuously, many parts of Ernakulam have been flooded. Single Lava – Kusa temple of Kerala is situated in Pulpally. Although the deviation in the annual rainfall received in Kerala, in any year from the long term average is very small, there is considerable variation in the rainfall availability during the different seasons. Eastern Kerala consists of land encroached upon by the Western Ghats; the region thus includes high mountains, gorges, and deep-cut valleys. It’s also called Pazhassi Dam. The human interventions contributing to flood problems are predominantly in the form of reclamation of wetlands and water bodies, change in landuse pattern, construction of dense networks of roads, establishment of more and more settlements, deforestation in the upper catchments etc. Hope you will love it. Losses to telephone communications, networked systems and electrical equipment are also very high. 7. There are many theories surrounding ‘Kollavarsham’. It’s one of the rare districts of Kerala, where a common Malayalam word has been used to name it. Nearly 400 crows have died due to viral infection so far in 7-8 districts of Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile culling operations have been completed in both the affected districts of Kerala and post-operational surveillance programme guidelines have been issued to the state. The Western Ghats rises on average to 1500 m elevation above sea level. There are 34 backwaters in Kerala Lake Vembanad—Kerala's largest body of water —dominates the backwaters; it lies between Alappuzha and Kochi and is over 200 km2 in area. →  Land transportation network (e.g., roads). Kozhikode – The second largest urban agglomeration of Kerala, Kozhikode is also dubbed as the “City of Spices” for its role as the major trading point of Eastern spices. Kochi Metro – the first metro station of the state was also introduced here. It is estimated that about 26% of the total geographical area accommodating about 18% of the total population of the State is prone to floods. Immediately after the tsunami, several organizations have carried out field surveys in many affected areas along the coast.[4]. Some historians believe that it was started in the memory of the establishment of Kollam town, while a few others believe that it was exactly the same year when state capital was changed to Kollam. The water scarcity in summer is mainly reflected in dry rivers and lowering of water table. India’s largest and Asia’s second largest earth dam – Banasura Sagar Dam is situated here. First telegraph office of Travancore kingdom was established in Alappuzha. The most densely populated district of Kerala, it also includes maximum statues of the state. Kerala's rains are mostly the result of seasonal monsoons. Alappuzha – The most beautiful district of Kerala, with greenery and backwaters, it is one of the best tourist locations of the country. As per legends, the name ‘Palakkad’ came into existence during Sangha period, and the name was coined from a local word which means – Unused land. Finally, Kerala's coastal belt is relatively flat, teeming with paddy fields, groves of coconut trees, and heavily crisscrossed by a network of interconnected canals and rivers. Soman (1988) reported that over major part of the Kerala State, extreme as well as these where the rainfall is more compared to other areas. All except 1 of the 14 districts in the state are prone to landslides. Banasura Sagar Dam – Asia’s second largest & India’s largest earth dam. Kerala is one among the smallest states of India, and it has been divided into 14 districts. Forty-one of Kerala's forty-four rivers originate in this region, and the Cauvery River descends from there and drains eastwards into neighboring states. Irikkur, Pa… Kerala State has been divided into 14 districts, 21 revenue divisions, 14 District Panchayats, 63 taluks, 152 CD blocks, 1466 revenue villages, 999 Gram panchayats, 5 corporations and 53 municipalities. A number of extreme flood events occurred during the last century causing considerable damage to life and property highlight the necessity for proper flood management measures in the State. The west facing Western Ghats scarps that runs the entire extent of the mountain system is the most prone physiographic unit for landslides. With a height of 8841 feet (2,695 metres), Anamudi is the highest peak in India outside Himalayas.Anamudi is located in Idukki district in Kerala. Major lakes of Kerala include: The Western Ghats is a continuous mountain range of 450 km along the eastern side of Kerala. Kerala (38,863 km2; 1.18% of India's landmass) is situated between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east. The basic unit is called ‘Ayalkoottam’. Ernakulam – The central hub of Kerala, it also includes the biggest commercial city of state, Kochi. At the time of formation, Kerala had only five districts: Malabar (part of the erstwhile Madras State ), Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam and Thrissur (together constituting the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin ). State Highway 7 Route information Maintained by Kerala Public Works Department Length 32.8 km (20.4 mi) Major junctions From Thiruvalla To It is also known as Thiruvalla-Pathanamthitta-Kumbazha Highway.This State Highway origins and ends within the Pathanamthitta District.. Further, the tsunami pounded 187 villages affecting nearly 250,000 persons in Kerala. Here, rolling hills and shallow valleys fill a gentler landscape than the highlands. The state of Kerala, in southern India, has 14 revenue districts. List of districts in Kerala he Indian state of Kerala borders with the states of Tamil Nadu on the south and east, Karnataka on the north and the Arabian Sea coastline on the west. Most of the remainder are small and entirely fed by the Monsoons. Since the State has more of perennial plantation crops compared to other places of India, the effect of a drought year in Kerala continues to be felt for several more years after it has occurred. Geologically, pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene formations comprise the bulk of Kerala's terrain. As seen in the majority of drought incidents, even a 20% fall in the northeast monsoon, can make the water scarcity situation worse during the summer. Parts of Kerala's lowlands may average only 1250 mm annually while the cool mountainous eastern highlands of Idukki district – comprising Kerala's wettest region – receive in excess of 5,000 mm of orographic precipitation (4,200 crore of which are available for human use) annually. Vinod Kovoor – Malayalam actor and stand-up comedian best known for TV sitcoms, Marimayam and M80 Moosa, Meera Vasudevan – Indian film actress best known for her lead role in ‘Thanmathra’. A very recent study indicates that the additional cohesion provided by vegetation roots in soil is an important contributor to slope stability in the scarp faces of the Western Ghats of Kerala. Severe drought conditions often result from the anomalies in monsoon rainfall combined with the various anthropogenic pressures. Kannur – In the ancient Greek work – ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’ written in 1st AD, it’s mentioned about Kannur as ‘Naura’. Central teams deployed to visit the affected states in Kerala, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for monitoring and for epidemiological investigation have reached their destinations, the DAH&D said. Kerala receives an average annual rainfall of 3107 mm – some 7,030 crore m3 of water. A freelance writer and blogger by profession since October 2011, interested in writing over a wide range of topics. [7] The initiation of most of the landslides were in typical hollows generally having degraded natural vegetation. Eastern Kerala consists of land encroached upon by the Western Ghats; the region thus includes high mountains, gorges, and deep-cut valleys. Culling of chickens and ducks began on Tuesday in parts of two districts in Kerala to contain H5N8 strain of bird flu there, official sources said. It was initially used in a small local area of Kollam, and gradually spread across Kerala and accepted by all. Western Ghats bounds the district in the East , Kozhikkode and Wayanad districts, in the South, Lakshadeep sea in the West and Kasaragod, the northern most district of Kerala, in the North. Kerala High Court and Cochin Stock Exchange are situated here. Moderate vulnerability to the virus is seen in northern districts of Karnataka, eastern Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and eastern districts of Tamil Nadu, according to the research conducted by Swasti which takes a closer look at factors that make certain geographies and communities more vulnerable than others. The land of Anantha is also known as the city of 70 hills. The changes in rainfall pattern may have association with the environmental modifications due to human interventions on the natural ecosystems. Kerala lies between northern latitude of 8°.17'.30" N and 12°. Lack of awareness also aggravates the situation. In those days, Vadakkunnatha Siva temple was also surrounded by dense forests. 2. Kasaragod – This district has numerous religious monuments, temples and mosques built on the principles of Kerala Vasthu. The name was originally derived from ‘Wayal Nadu’ which means ‘Land of Paddy’. Pathanamthitta – A part of old central Travancore, it is also known as ‘Pilgrim capital of Kerala’ and the place of Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala. In 1934 Thekkumkadu Maidan was officially handed over to Cochin Devaswam Board by Diwan Paruvakkadu Narayanan Nair. RDX Unplugged – R. D. Burman’s Top 100 Chartbuster Bollywood Hits for You, Interior Special – 100+ Excellent Storage Solutions For Your Home, O. P. Nayyar Vs Lata Mangeshkar – The story of a musical cold war, Sajid Khan – Child artist of ‘Mother India’ and ‘Maya’ fame. During ancient days, this portion was a dense forest, and criminals were exiled here as punishment. Through this column I shall share some of the interesting facts, and a few unknown facts about 14 districts of Kerala. Your email address will not be published. There is one mirror temple for Jains with interior walls fully decorated by mirrors – Glass temple of Koottamunda. A review of ancient documents, investigation reports and news paper reports indicates a lesser rate of slope instability in the past; 29 major landslide events that occurred in the recent past was identified through the review. The Western Ghats is also responsible for the high and steady rainfall in Kerala. For the same reason, this district is also known as ‘Sapta Bhasha Sangama Bhoomi’ or ‘Land of union of 7 languages’. [4], Kerala has been experiencing increasing incidents of drought in the recent past due to the weather anomalies and developmental pressures resulting from the changes in land use, traditional practices, and life style of the people. Functionally the district administration is carried on through the various Departments of the State Government each of which has an office of it… As it resembles the head of an elephant, it is given this name. Kerala, which lies in the tropic region, is mostly subject to the type of humid tropical wet climate experienced by most of Earth's rainforests. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Research in Geography is carried out in a variety of organizations like Department of Geography, University College, National Centre for Earth Sciences Studies, Kannur University etc. Jose AI, Paulose S, Prameela P & Bonny BP (eds), 2002, Package of Practices Recommendations: Crops, Kerala Agricultural University, Chacko T & Renuka G, 2002, Temperature mapping, thermal diffusivity and subsoil heat flux at Kariavattom of Kerala, Proc Indian Acad Sci (Earth Planet Sci), Yesodharan EP, Kokkal K & Harinarayanan P (eds), 2007, State of Environment Report of Kerala 2007 – Volume II: Natural Hazards, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Government of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India, Kuriakose SL, Sankar G & Muraleedharan C, 2009a, History of landslide susceptibility and a chorology of landslide prone areas in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, Environmental Geology, 57(7), 1153–1568, Kuriakose SL, Jetten VG, van Westen CJ, Sankar G & van Beek LPH, 2008, Pore Water Pressure as a Trigger of Shallow Landslides in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India: Some Preliminary Observations from an Experimental Catchment, Physical Geography 29(4) 374–386. These groups, including the Paniyars, Mooppans, Irulars, Kurumbars , and Mudugars, [5] speak their own native languages. Padmanabha Swamy temple – World’s richest temple. The droughts have a large dimension of economic, environmental and social impacts. Tamil Nadu. Also known as “Rice Bowl of Kerala”, Palakkad is one among the districts with large amount of cultivation of different agricultural products. info)) is a state on the southwestern Malabar Coast of India.It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile states of Travancore-Cochin and Madras.. This page was last edited on 23 December 2020, at 21:01. Anamudi – The highest peak of south India. Your email address will not be published. When those portions – now known as Thekkumkadu Maidan were cleared and trees were cut off, officials have to face strong protests from Brahmin community. Places like Lucknow, Prayagraj, Sultanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Banda recorded maximums in higher Hope you will love it. Certain peaks may reach to 2500 m. Just west of the mountains lie the midland plains, comprising a swathe of land running along central Kerala. Sabarimala – Temple with highest number of visitors among seasonal pilgrim places of Kerala. Kasragod is also known for several historic forts, deeply linked with Kerala history. [23] Palakkadan Matta is a trademark rice variety originally cultivated here. Kerala is prone to several natural hazards, the most common of them being landslides, flooding, lightning, drought, coastal erosion, earthquakes, Tsunami, wind fall and epidemics. 1500 sq.km. Kerala is one among the smallest states of India, and it has been divided into 14 districts. It forms almost an unbroken wall guarding the eastern frontier and helps the people of Kerala to lead a sheltered life of their own through the centuries. It came into existence in 1984 May 24. Through this column I shall share some of the interesting facts, and a few unknown facts about 14 districts of Kerala. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. In contrast, eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh remained dry and sunny. It was officially formed on 1 November 1982. Required fields are marked *. Also Kerala’s deive in beach – Muzhuppilangaad is situated in Thalassery. Studies conducted in the state indicates that prolonged and intense rainfall or more particularly a combination of the two and the resultant persistence and variations of pore pressure are the most important trigger of landslides. 5. This adversely affects the rural and urban drinking water supply. A district is governed by a District Collector, who is an officer from Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of Kerala cadre and is appointed by the State Government of Kerala. Kuriakose SL, van Beek LPH & van Westen CJ, 2009b, Parameterizing a physically based shallow landslide model in a data poor region, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geography_of_Kerala&oldid=995969741, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. [4], Kerala is a place of high lightning incidence compared to most of the other parts in India because of its weather patterns and the location of the Western Ghats. A study on the incidence of droughts based on the aridity index shows that during the period 1871– 2000, the State of Kerala experienced 66 drought years, out of which, twelve each were moderate and severe droughts. Kalpathi Ratholsavam is a famous celebration here, conducted at Sree Visalakshi Sametha Viswanatha Swami Temple. Kasaragod is also known as ‘God’s own country’. As a result, Kerala averages some 120–140 rainy days per year. The characteristic pattern of this phenomenon is the swift and sudden downslope movement of highly water saturated overburden containing a varied assemblage of debris material ranging in size from soil particles to boulders, destroying and carrying with it every thing that is lying in its path. 1. The Kerala Backwaters region is a particularly well-recognized feature of Kerala; it is an interconnected system of brackish water lakes and river estuaries that lies inland from the coast and runs virtually the length of the state. Majority of mass movements have occurred in hill slopes >20° along the Western Ghats scarps, the only exception being the coastal cliffs. Kerala’s single Malayalam university – Thunjath Ezhuthacchan Malayalam University is situated in Thirur of Malappuram. It converts 50% of Kerala into highlands and is studded with more than 50 peaks above 5000 feet above Mean Sea Level. The State of Kerala experiences seasonal drought conditions every year during the summer months. About 95 percent of annual rainfall is confined to a six-month monsoon period between June and November, leaving the remaining six months as practically dry. The flood problems are likely to worsen with the continued floodplain occupancy and reclamation of water bodies and wetlands. The state is often referred as "God's Own Country". Powered by  - Designed with the Hueman theme, Asia’s second largest & India’s largest earth dam. 8. There are many spoken languages in this district apart from Kerala’s official language, Malayalam. It’s also known as ‘Venice of the East’. Anamudi, also known as ‘Everest of South India’ is located here. Kerala's coast runs some 580 km in length, while the state itself varies between 35–120 km in width. There are 44 rivers in Kerala, all but three originating in the Western Ghats. Although the tsunami affected parts of Kerala coast, maximum devastation was reported in the low coastal land of Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts, particularly a strip of 10 km in Azhikkal, Kollam district. The Chera kingdom consisted of a major part of modern Kerala and Kongunadu which comprises western districts of modern Tamil Nadu like Coimbatore and Salem. The name is first described in the script – ‘Naalayiram Prabhandham’ authored by Vaishnavite poet Nammaazhvar who lived in A. D. 900. You also may want to know about Kottayam since you may touch there en route to other destinations. These facilitate inland travel throughout a region roughly bounded by Thiruvananthapuram in the south and Vatakara (which lies some 450 km to the north). People speak Hindustani, Tulu, Urdu, Kannada, Konkani and Byari, thus giving a mix up of cultures. Some 63% of tribals reside in the eastern districts of Wayanad (where 35.82% are tribals), Palakkad (1.02%), and Idukki (15.66%). Kollavarsham was started soon after the renovation of a Siva temple and installing of idol. Sri Lanka. Located at the extreme southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Kerala lies near the center of the Indian tectonic plate (the Indian Plate); as such most of the state (notwithstanding isolated regions) is subject to comparatively little seismic or volcanic activity. [8], Although the Kerala state does not experience floods as severe as in the Indo-Gangetic plains, incidence of floods in the State is becoming more frequent and severe. Increasing floodplain occupancy results in increasing flood damages. More than 2000 temples are located here. It owns centuries-old tradition in the trade of spices with many foreign nations. These scarp faces are characterised by thin soil (regolith) cover modified heavily by anthropogenic activity. Ernakulam district is bestowed with all the geographical factors which help the development of industries and it is in the forefront of all other districts in Kerala in the field of industry.

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