Athirappilly Falls


Athirappilly Falls, is situated in Athirappilly Panchayat in Chalakudy Taluk of Thrissur District in Kerala, India on the Chalakudy River, which originates from the upper reaches of the Western Ghats at the entrance to the Sholayar ranges. It is the largest waterfall in Kerala, which stands tall at 80 feet. Just a short drive from Athirappilly to the Vazhachal falls, which is close to dense green forests that are home to many endangered and endemic species of flora and fauna.
There is another waterfall on the way from Athirappilly to Vazhachal Falls, in close proximity to the road, which is locally called "Charpa Falls". Athirappilly Falls is the largest waterfall in Kerala and is nicknamed "The Niagara of India".
Controversy about a state-proposed hydroelectric dam on the Chalakudy River above the waterfalls began in the 1990s and continued through 2017.

River

The long Chalakudy River, originates in the Anamudi mountains of the Western Ghats and flows through the Vazhachal Forest toward the Arabian Sea. The river initially runs smoothly but becomes more turbulent as it nears Athirapilly. At Athirappilly Falls, the water surges around big rocks and cascades down in three separate plumes. Below the falls, the river remains turbulent for about until it reaches Kannamkuzhi. Then it calms and flows smoothly until reaching the dam at Thumburmuzhi.

Wildlife

Forest wildlife in the area includes the Asiatic elephant, tiger, leopard, bison, sambar, and lion-tailed macaque. The unique elevation riparian forest in the Athirappilly-Vazhachal area is the only location where all four South Indian species of hornbills — the great hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill, Malabar grey hornbill, and the Indian grey hornbill are found living together. If the proposed 163-MW Athirappilly hydroelectric project is built, these unique birds may vanish from these forests because it will submerge the hornbills' habitat.
Plantations in the area contain teak, bamboo, and eucalyptus. Environmentalists claim that Athirappilly is a one-of its-kind riparian ecosystem in Kerala. V.S. Vijayan, Chairman of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board and former Director of the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, has been quoted in Down to Earth magazine as affirming that the Vazhachal forest division is the second most biodiverse area in the State. The International Bird Association has declared it an ‘Important Bird Area' and the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation has recommended that the area should be declared a sanctuary or a national park, he points out. The Wildlife Trust of India says it represents one of India's best elephant conservation efforts. "Any disruption to this fragile ecosystem will spell disaster," says Vijayan.
The river provides habitat for 85 species of fresh water fishes. Among these, 35 are endemic species.

Tourism

The railway station nearest Athirappilly Falls is 30 kilometres to the west in Chalakudi Railway Station, and the nearest airport is Kochi International Airport, about 55 kilometres southwest of the waterfall and 58 kilometres south of City of Thrissur. Athirappilly is easily reachable from Chalakudy and Angamaly by taxi or by bus from the Chalakudy and Angamaly bus terminal. Athirappilly is situated on the highways connecting Tamil Nadu and Kerala, amidst thick forest, so night riding is not advised as there are chances of encountering wildlife.
The journey from Chalakudy to the Athirappilly Falls passes through a landscape of winding roads, small villages and lush green trees. Visitors can reach the top of the waterfall via a paved path that leads through thick bamboo clusters. From Angamaly the route is in the midst of an Oil Palm Reserve through Ezhattumugham tourism village A steep narrow path also leads to the bottom of the falls. The falls attract visitors from across India, especially during the monsoon months. About 7 million tourists visit the falls and the Vazhachal picnic spot each year.

Jungle safari

Daily jungle safari trips are organized by Thrissur District Tourism Promotion Council with Athirappilly Destination Management Council from Chalakudy to Malakkappara.

Movies

The scenic beauty of Athirappilly falls has always been attractive to filmmakers. It has been used as a location for several Malayalam films.
Some of the major films with scenes around the falls are:
In 1994, the Kerala State Electricity Board proposed a 163 megawatt Athirappilly Hydro Electric Project. It was to include a dam 23 metres high and 311 metres wide on the Chalakudy River in the Vazhachal Forest Division about 5 kilometres upstream of Athirappilly Falls and 400 metres upstream of Vazhachal Rapids. However, environmental groups and people's collectives opposed the project on grounds that it would damage the environment, infringe on human rights, and threaten tourism. Though it was not their main concern, critics also noted that if the entire course of the river were diverted to make electricity, the Athirappilly-Vazhachal waterfalls could dry up. To avoid damaging the falls, the KSEB proposed adjusting the water releases to maintain the falls. The debate continued in 2007. Environmentalists also expressed concern over whether the proposed hydroelectric project at Athirappilly waterfalls would lead to displacement and eventual extinction of the primitive tribal group, 'Kadars,' in the area.
In 2005, the Kerala Ministry of Environment and Forests approved the project on the basis of a report by Water and Power Consultancy Services Ltd., an environmental impact assessment agency. In 2006, the Kerala High Court quashed the clearance and ordered another public hearing. The debate continued the following years.
On 29 January 2011, the chairman of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel Madhav Gadgil opined that the Environment Impact Assessment of the Athirappilly hydel power project was not properly carried out and 70% of it is bogus. The panel, appointed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, was asked to look into and give recommendations on various projects in the Western Ghats such as the hydroelectric projects in Gundiya in Karnataka and Athirappilly in Kerala and the overall development projects in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra. Gadgil said that the proposed Athirappilly hydro-electric project cannot be approved until the Forest Rights Act is implemented in its true spirit for the Kadar tribal community of the area and also no comprehensive study had been carried out so far on the natural riparian forest vegetation along the Western Ghats.
On 14 June 2011, Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said his ministry would not grant approval to the Athirappilly hydro electric project. The minister also stated “When states are denied such projects on larger and long-term environmental considerations, they are entitled to some sort of green bonus,”
The first part of WGEEP report was submitted to the Ministry on August 31. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, on Sep 6th 2011 recommended to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests against granting permission to carry out any construction activities at the sensitive Athirappilly-Vazhachal region. The panel, which submitted its report to Union Environment Minister Jayanti Natarajan in the capital, named Athirappilly as one of the 18 eco-sensitive localities in the state.
But K. Radhakrishnan, a former member, KSEB, has opined that this panel report was highly biased with vested interests and the project was eco-friendly doing minimum damage to environment and forests. While there are reports from renowned experts from Kerala State Biodiversity Board that the power project would adversely affect the ecology of the area and the estimated power output would be dependable upon the rainfall and dry summer seasons, which is undependable in its own way. M. Sivasankar, a KSEB chairman and MD states the need of more environment-friendly power projects with lower operating cost and higher output like super critical boiler plants. Cheemeni Power Project which is planned to produce 1500 MW is such a project in the government binders.