Introduction
• Kunthipuzha is an important perennial river of Kerala.
• It flows through Silent Valley National Park in the Western Ghats.
• It is located mainly in Palakkad district.
• It is part of the larger Bharathapuzha river system.
Source, course, and end point
• The river originates in the Anginda peak region of the Western Ghats.
• It begins in the high forested landscape of Silent Valley.
• It flows through the core evergreen forest zone of Silent Valley National Park.
• After descending from the highlands, it moves towards the plains.
• It ultimately joins the Bharathapuzha system.
• In basin-level descriptions, it is associated with the Thuthapuzha segment before merging into Bharathapuzha.
• Bharathapuzha finally drains into the Lakshadweep Sea at Ponnani.
Tributaries and distributaries
• Important feeder streams or tributaries in the Silent Valley region include:
• Kunthancholapuzha
• Karingathodu
• Madrimaranthodu
• Valiaparathodu
• Kummaathanthodu
• In broader downstream descriptions of the Kunthipuzha-Thuthapuzha system, associated streams include:
• Nellipuzha
• Kanjirappuzha
• Ambankadavu
• Thuppanadippuzha
• Kunthipuzha is generally described as a tributary river.
• It is not known for major distributaries in standard descriptions.
Importance
• It is the main river associated with the ecology of Silent Valley National Park.
• It supports one of the most important evergreen forest ecosystems of the Western Ghats.
• It is ecologically significant because of its relatively undisturbed forest catchment.
• It is historically important because the Silent Valley Movement arose against a proposed hydroelectric project on this river.
• It is therefore important both in physical geography and in environmental history.
