Rivers are human institution lifelines, they provide us with water and fertile soil, cultures, have always lived on the banks of rivers. The river Periyar is the one that drains the largest catchment of the rivers in the State of Kerala. The Periyar Basin sits on the other side of the western ghats range just to the west of the Vaigai Basin.It rises 80 km south of Devikulam at an elevation of around 2400 m in the Sivagiri range of the Western Ghats in the Quilon district and traverses the steep cliffs and thick forests for about 16 km south where the tributary Mullaperiyar enters on its right at an elevation of around 850 m. The river then turns west, traverses the hills in a narrow deep gorge about 11 km below Mullayar Junction.It is this gorge that allowed the building of the oldest masonry dam in India, forming the well-known Periyar Lake. The river then follows a winding course until it emerges in Vandiperiyar, a town at the border of KeralaTamilnadu. The Periyar River is Kerala State’s west-flowing river.The river traverses the taluks of Peermedu and Devikulam in Kottayam District and parts of Ernakulam District, having a total length of about 232 km. In addition to Mullayar, several other tributaries join the main river on either side of which is important Kottapanayar on the right, Cheruthoni on the left.The river passes through the districts of Idukki and Ernakulam in Kerala. At Aluva, it splits into two distributaries. The Periyar empties into the Lakshadweep River and the Vembanad Lake after a 244 km journey. In Idukki, it flows 29 km east through the state of Kerala and reaches the state of Tamilnadu. It is also called The Thalayar.Pambar is also a tributary of the Cauvery River. The Periyar River which is not only the deepest but also the longest river in Tamilnadu, Periyar (meaning: big river) is the longest river in the Indian state of Kerala and the river with the highest capacity for discharge. This is one of the region’s only permanent rivers and provides drinking water for several major cities.The Periyar is of paramount significance to Kerala’s economy. It provides a large proportion of the electrical power of Kerala through the Idukki Dam and flows through an area of industrial and commercial operation. In addition to sustaining a rich fishery, the river also supplies water for agriculture and residential use all along its course. Despite this, The river was called ‘Kerala Lifeline.’ The town of Kochi, near the mouth of the river, derives its water source from Aluva, an upstream location relatively protected from seawater interference. The Periyar Dam, also known as the Mullaperiyar Dam, was constructed between September 1887 and October 1895 over the Periyar River at the time.Travancore State to fulfill the specifications for irrigation under the then Madras Presidency.The dam’s name comes from the Mullaiyar and Periyar portmanteau. Since the dam is situated after the confluence of the rivers Mullayar and Periyar, so the dam came to be called the Mullaperiyar dam. The Periyar Dam is the country’s first masonry dam of its kind and is also one of the first inter-basin water transport schemes.The Periyar dam is about 54 m high and 366 m long (1200 ft) straight gravity dam over the Periyar River, situated in a shallow deep gorge about 11 km below the Mullayar crossing. Based in the State of Kerala, this lime Surki mortar masonry dam is the country’s first project to successfully transfer intravaginal water.The dam is owned, run, and maintained by the Tamilnadu Government, Department of Public Works. The intent behind the building of the dam was to channel the waters of the west-flowing Periyar River to the east, carrying the water from the reservoir through a tunnel through the wetlands and the Western Ghats to the arid rain shadow regions of Theni, Madurai District, District of Sivaganga and Tamilnadu districts of Ramanathapuram. The Vaigai basin was suffering droughts now and then and even in a few adjacent years and the inhabitants were famine-stricken and languished. One such bad year of famine was the year 1876-77. The Periyar drainage sits just west of the Vaigai drainage on the other side of the Western Ghats range, draining the highest catchment.The head meets its being in thick woodforests, inaccessible and uninhabited and so there should have been no chance at any time to determine the flow of the water, not even to quantify the rain falling over the catchment. Southwestern monsoon triggers heavy rainfall in this area, but water capacity that could be harnessed had to be presumed from a rainfall measure in stations far away from the area of interest.The river Periyar originates in the Sivagiri Hills of the Western Ghats in Kerala, flows northward, and meets the western flowing Mullaiyar at Thekkady, which also originates in the Western Ghats in Kerala. The Mullaperiyar Dam is constructed to build the Periyar reservoir at the confluence of both the Periyar and Mullaiyar Rivers.Water is pumped eastward from the Periyar Thekkady reservoir to Tamilnadu into a tunnel that allows the water to enter the Vaigai River. The Periyar river flows northwestward from the Periyar Thekkady reservoir into the Idukki reservoir created by the Idukki, Cheruthoni, and Kulamavu dams.The biggest is in the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary, North of Vagamon, the Meenachil, Manimala, and Pamba tributaries have eroded large parts of the Periyar basin between Ayyappankovil and Vallakkadavu. The Periyar has only a narrow stripe of the tableland of Cardamom Hill to flow north here.It rises from the hills of Sivagiri, Sundaramala in Tamil Nadu, this river is a big river in Tamilnadu.Water is the spirit of all creation. The Mullaperiyar River current in-district Theni. The water passes from Lower village, Kullapagoundanpatty, KarunakkaMuthan Patti, Surlipatti, Uthamapalayam, Chinnamanur, Veerapandi, Theni Aranmanaipudur, and Vaigai dam and so on.When the time of opening the gates of the 18th canal the benefits of its go to the towns of Thevaram, Uthamapalayam, and neighbor village irrigations.her in the Theni district.Under this scheme, farmers in Thevaram, Pottipuram, Rasingapuram, Silamalai, Melachokkanathapuram, and Bodinayakanur would be benefitted. The water release would help to recharge 585 wells to improve irrigation on 3,848.55 acres.This is the long-pending demand of farmers in parts of Thevaram and Bodinayakanur has been fulfilled due to the scheme.Former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had promised to extend the 18th canal in 2011 during her election campaign.The canal which links the Kottakudi river was extended at a cost of Rs 52.80 crore. She had laid the foundation stone for the project through video conferencing on February 27, 2016. The extension scheme was completed in March 2018.