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Home , Kalpakkam, Kanchipuram, Kanchipuram District, Sunguvarchatram, Uthiramerur

KANCHIPURAM DISTRICT

1 DISTRICT

1. Introduction it is divided into 13 development blocks with 648 village panchayats. i) Geographical location of the district

Kanchipuram district is situated on iii) Meteorological information the Northern East Coast of and The pre-monsoon rainfall is almost is bounded in the West by and uniform throughout the district. The coastal Thiruvannamalai districts, in the North by taluks get more rains rather than the interior district and district, in regions. This district is mainly depending on the South by Villuppuram district and in the the seasonal rains. Northeast and southwest East by the . It lies between monsoons of contribute respectively to the 11° 00' to 12° 00’ North and 77° 28' to total annual rainfall. The normal rainfall of 78° 50' East. The district has a total the district has been 1213.3 mm and actual geographical area of 4,393.37 sq.km and rainfall has been 1133 mm. The months between April and June are generally hot with temperatures going up to an average maximum of 36.6ºC. In winter (December - January) the average minimum temperature is 19.8ºC.

2. Resources availability

i) Land resources

The following table shows the soil types in the district.

Type of soil Places in district Kanchipuram, Red Loam blocks Lateritic Soil Plateau in the district Black Soil Spread in all blocks Thirukazhukundram, Sandy Coastal , Alluviam St.Thomas Mount. coastline of 57 km Kanchipuram, the temple town is the district headquarters. Red Sandy Soil Kanchipuram,

i) Administrative profile ii) Agriculture and horticulture For administrative reasons, the district has been divided into 4 revenue Agriculture is the main occupation of divisions comprising of 11 taluks with 1,137 the people with 47% of the population revenue villages. For development reasons,

2 engaged in it. Paddy is the major crop The major forest product, the cultivated in this district. Groundnuts, industrial pulpwood obtained from Sugarcane, Cereals & Millets and Pulses are Eucalyptus plantations, is supplied for paper the other major crops cultivated . manufacturing. The lops and tops left after along with Tanks and wells are the main extracting the pulpwood is sold as fuel sources of irrigation in this district. wood. Fuel wood is extracted also from the Following table shows the details of Casuarina plantations. Cashew is the agriculture in the district. important Non Timber Forest Produce which contributes a major share of forest Classification Area in ha revenue.

Total Cropped iv) Mineral resources 1,98,543 Area Granite, stone quarry, sand quarry, Net Area Sown 1,60,090 silica sand and clay are the minerals Area sown more 38,453 available in Kanchipuram district. Following than once table shows the availability of mineral Area Under Principal Crops resources.

Rice 1,45,966 Estimated Availability of Mineral Millets and 1,217 resources Cereals Pulses 2,966 Sl. Name of the Estimated Sugarcane 7,586 Availability (in No. mineral metric tonnes) Groundnut 28,766 1. Silica Sand 6,00,000 Gingelly 912 2. White Clay 5,00,000 Cotton 53 3. Black Granite 3,75.000

4. Stone 75,00,000 iii) Forest resources The total forest area in the district is 5. Sand 45,00,000

23,586 ha spread in the interior regions of v) Water resources the district. In this 366.675 ha are Reserved Land. Much of the natural forests have been River Palar is the main river in the converted into man-made forests since the district, which is not perennial. This is the late 1950s. However, chunks of natural only river that flows thorough the district, forests still exist in Hanumanthaputheri, originating from Nandhi Durg in Karnataka. Maiyur and parts of R.F. It runs through for a length of 350 km and which still support the original vegetation. nearly half of it in this district covering a Kanchipuram district has the singular basin area of 2187 sq.km The river has part distinction of having established woodlots in of its basin in Karnataka and Andhra states. community (Poramboke) lands vested with the panchayat. Way back in 1961, the first Most of the year it remains dry, due ever community plantation- the precursor of to the construction of dams across the river the present day social forestry was raised in . and Vegavathy near Sunguvarchatram in panchayat lands. rivers are tributaries of Palar and join it at Thirumakkudal.

3 vi) Fisheries production birds can be viewed from the bank or from the watch tower. The Kanchipuram District is rich in fish resources. Scope for exploitation of marine fisheries in the District is high with the coastal line of 57 km A comparison of fish production indicates that the coastal production is higher than the inland fish production. The fish production from both inland and marine sources has increased in both quantity and value. vii) Heritage sites

Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram is known as the "city Vedanthangal water-bird sanctuaries of a thousand temples". The 192 ft high Muttukadu temple tower of Ekamabaranadhar temple and the 100-pillar mandabam (building) in Muttukadu is a large lake formed out Varadaraja Perumal temple in this town are of the backwaters from Bay of Bengal. It has famous, and are considered marvels of the boating and wind surfing facilities. It is architectural beauty of the Vijayanagara located at a distance of 80 km from dynasty. The British Viceroy , Kanchipuram. The backwaters of who is responsible for the British rule in Muttukkadu have been developed by the , had exclaimed the architectural beauty Tamil Nadu Tourism Development of Varadharaja perumal temple and Corporation to serve as a picnic spot and a presented a fabulous jewelry to this temple. center for water sports. Training and Today, apart from its temples, this small demonstration programmes are also town is also known for its thriving organised for beginners. handloom industry. The city is quite famous for its silk sarees, considered to be one of the best varieties of silk sarees. near Kanchipuram is also famous for silk It is a place of architectural interest saree weaving. and lies on the east coast, 55 km south of

Vedanthangal Chennai. It is an important tourist center. The and the monolithic Vedanthangal is one of India's main chariots, known as the “Five Rathas”, water-bird sanctuaries situated at a distance Arjuna’s peanace, the Krishna Mandapam, of 48 km from Kanchipuram. Storks, egrets, Mahishasura Mandapam, the elephant etc., cormorants, darters, flamingos, pelicans, are all magnificent pieces of sculpture which moorhens, herons, kingfishers, sandpipers, attract hundreds of tourists throughout the white ibis, spoonbills, swans and grey year. The place is also known as the Seven wagtails are some of the birds also which Pagodas and along with the sea-shore and its visit seasonally. Between October and temple provides a beautiful picnic spot March, many migratory birds visit. The

4 abounding in natural beauty. There is also enclosures. There is also a snake farm where a lighthouse here. A training center for anti-venom is produced and there is a sculpture has been set up here by the regular venom extraction show. government. The group of sculptures in Mamallapuram is listed out by the UNESCO viii) Bidiversity as a World Heritage Site . Following are the important flora and fauna in the district.

Characteristic species

• Manilkara hexandra • Mimusops elengi • Albizia amara • Memecylon umbellatum • Diospyros ferrea syn maba buxifolia

Top Canopy

• Mimusops elengi Mamallapuram • Diospyros ebenum (occasional) • Strychnos nux vomia (occasional) • Strychnos potatorum (occasional) This is a small fishing village 40 km • Diospyros chloroxylon occasional) from Chennai on the Mahabalipuram road. • Drypetes sepiarea (rare) The remains of a fort here now functions as • Syzygium cumini a luxury beach resort. Facilities for • Canthirum decoccum (frequent) windsurfing and swimming are available • Ziziphus glaberrima (frequent) here. A dargah and an ancient church are • also located here. Acacia leucophloea (frequent) • Catunaregam spinosa (frequent) Dakshina Chitra • Buchanania lanzan (occasional) • Dakshina Chitra has relocated 18 th , Sapinda emarginatus (occasional) • 19 th and early 20 th century houses and re- Albizia amara created village streets and work places • Albizia lebbek providing authentic insights into the • Tamarindus indica domestic architecture, spatial organisation, • Azadirachta indica life-styles and character of the essential • Borassus flabellifer Tamil or Keralite or Andhrite or Kannadiga. Under wood The Crocodile Bank • Carissa carandas (abundant) • Flacourtia indica The Madras Crocodile Bank, a (locally abundant) crocodile breeding center, is located about • 14 km from Mamallapuram.At this center, Diospyros ferrea (frequent) • about 5000 crocodiles of 6 different Grewia sp. (abundant) • species, alligators and other reptiles are Gymnosporia sp. (frequent) bred in captivity, kept in open, marshy

5 • Ixora arborea (frequent) • Palm squirrels - Funambulus • Tarenna ascatica (frequent) pennanti and F.palmarum • Memecylon umbellatum • Hare - Lepus nigricollis nigricollis • Garcinia spicata • Common mongoose - Harpestes edwardsi Shrubs • Shrew - Suncus sp. • Strobilanthus • Pangolim - Manis crassicaudata . • Dodonaea viscosa (abundant) • Pariyakite - Milvus migrans govinda • Glycosmis pentaphylla • Brahminy kite - Haliastuf indus • Ochna squarrosa • Patridge - Francolinus pondicerianus • Gmelina asiatica • Koel - Eudynamys scolopacea. • Spotted owlet - Athene Herbs • Common rat snake - Ptyas mucosus • Hemidesmus indicus • Cobra - Naja naja • Green whip snake - Ahaetulla Tropical dry evergreen scrubs nasutus. • Diospyros ferrea • Ziziphus glaberrima 3. Impacts • Calliea cinerea • Catunaregam spinosa i) Urbanization • Carissa spinarum • Albiziz amara The proportion of urban population • Buchanania lanzan to total population has increased over the • Dodonaea viscosa decades in the district. Acceleration in density of population is felt heavily in Thorn forests urban areas. The decadal growth rate • Karunkali - Acacia chundra indicates that the urban centers have increased in the district adding • Usil - Albizia amara enormously on the urban population. • Neem - Azaridachita indica The estimated sewage generation is at • Sarakonnai - Cassia fistula 383.33 lakh liters per day in urban areas • Namai - Anogeissus latifolia with a breakup of 222.10 lakh liters per • Karai - Randia dumentorum day for and 161.23 lakh • Vagai - Albizia odaratissma liters per day for town panchayats. • Kala - Carisa carandas Underground drainage system is • Etti - Strychnos nuxvomica available in Kanchipuram, • Virali - Dodonaea viscosa Maraimalainagar and Uthiramerur. • Avaram - Cassia auriculata Overall solid waste generated in the • Canthum dicoccum district adds up to 437.14 tonnes with a • Aristida setaca break-up of 379.00 tonnes in • Heteropogon contortus. municipalities and 58.14 tonnes in town panchayats. The primary component of Fauna the waste is compostable matter • Jackal - Canis aureus constituting 86% in the total waste. • Jungle cat - Felis chaus

6 ii) Industrial development iv) Natural hazards

One of the largest industrial areas of As any other coastal environment, Tamil Nadu, Kanchipuram has the pride in coast of Kanchipuram district also gets being home to vital production bases of affected with regular erosion and accretion. international industrial groups like, Ford, Sea level rise and elevation in sea surface Hyundai, Saint Gobain as well as many temperature are also seen here as the export houses in and around the Madras consequences of global climate change. Export Processing Zone. The reasons for v) Natural disaster prone areas this are not far to seek: Information on drought, flood and • Proximity to the Chennai urban area cyclone in the district is very limited. However, it has been ascertained from the • Proximity to an international airport available information that there had been and two sea ports at Chennai and cyclones in 1985-86 and 1992-93. As a consequence flood has occurred during the above years. The north east monsoon • Excellent connectivity through contributes more rainfall than the south west the world class and monsoon. Generally flood occurs during upcoming upgraded NH4 & NH45 north east monsoon as there is heavy down pour coupled with cyclonic storm formed in • Moderate cost of land Bay of Bengal. Floods occur in the zones such as Upper Cheyyar and Kiliyar of Palar • Good industrial parks at Maraimalai basinches Heavy floods had occurred in Nagar, Alanthur, Irungattukottai, Sri- 1985, causing heavy damages to perumbudur, , Maduranthagam tank and washing away of and Paranur Kiliyar Railway Bridge and NH Road Bridge. There were also floods during • Reasonably good power supply with 1992-1993 causing heavy damages to lives the North Madras Power Station and and properties. The cyclonic storm which Atomic Power Station crossed the coast at Karaikal on 4.12.93 had located in and around the District. caused substantial damages in the basin area. Several hectares of crops were also • Availability of skilled and highly damaged due to the flood. qualified manpower at Chennai and suburbs with IIT, Chennai and Anna Kovalam University . The stretch of the coast from iii) Thermal power generation Kovalam upto Chinnakuppam is a bay like formation. This bay formation is likely due The only power project available in to the outcrops on its south acting as a the district of Kanchipuram is the atomic natural littoral barrier. A significant stretch power plant which is located in Kalpakkam. of coast south of Kovalam has a wide beach conducive for plantations as a long-term measure for protecting the coast.

7 4. Government initiatives Oyyalikuppam i) Coastal protection initiatives A number of dwelling units adjacent to the coast has been washed away due to Devaneri tsunami. This village is situated north of Palar River. The Palar River traps some of This stretch of the coast has a flat the sediment transport directed towards beach. However, in the vicinity of this coast, North leading to a deficit of sediment a large number of dwelling units has supply, leading to erosion along this stretch suffered damages due to the tsunami. This of the coast. stretch of the coast can be protected with a flat seawall with a higher crest elevation for ii) Awareness initiatives 0.5 km backed up by plantations in between the dwelling units and the crown of the There are at least eight environment seawall. On the south of Devaneri, existing NGOs dealing with environmental plantations act as barriers in reducing the awareness programs and cleaning campaign. tsunami run-up. Hence, Devaneri stretch of Various awareness creation activities have the coast can be protected by combination of been made among the fisher folk on tsunami rubble mound seawall and plantations. and Coastal Regulation Zone issues by different Government and Non Government Mamallapuram organizations. Attempts have been made to develop bioshields, rebuild livelihoods, In the coastal stretch between establish the 'Village Knowledge Centres' Devaneri and Mamallapuram, the shoreline and reclaim soil in the tsunami affected undergoes short-term changes and hence this agricultural fields in Kanchipuram district. stretch of the coast need not be considered for putting up any hard structures and only plantations could be taken up as a long-term 5. Summary / Conclusion solution. • Kanchipuram district is situated on Meyyur Kuppam and kuppam the Northern East Coast of Tamil Nadu and is adjacent by Bay of This village lies south of Kalpakam Bengal. Atomic Power Station. The impact of tsunami was severe in this stretch. In the • The district has a total geographical immediate south of this village, presence of area of 4,393.37 sq.km and coastline coconut plantations gave slight relief, as the of 57 km. land in this area is not in an elevated location. During tsunami the water level • For administrative reasons, the rose by 3 m and penetrated into land. This district has been divided into 4 stretch of the coast has a number of houses, revenue divisions comprising of 11 which need to be protected. taluks with 1,137 revenue villages.

8 • For development reasons, it is • The Kanchipuram District is rich in divided into 13 development blocks fishing resources. Potential for with 648 Village Panchayats. exploitation of marine fisheries in the District is high with a coastal line • Agriculture is the main occupation of of 57 km. the people with 47% of the population engaged in it. • The proportion of urban population to total population has increased over • Paddy is the major crop cultivated in the decades in this district. this district. Groundnuts, Sugarcane, Cereals, Millets and Pulses are the • One of the largest industrial areas of other major crops cultivated. Tamil Nadu, Kanchipuram has the pride in being home to vital • The total forest area in the district is production bases of international 23,586 ha, spread over the interior industrial groups regions of the district. In this forest • area there are 366.675 ha of The only power project available in Reserved Land. the district of Kanchipuram is the atomic power plant which is located • Palar is the major river in the district, in Kalpakkam. which is not perennial. This is the only river that flows thorough the district, originating from Nandhi Durg in Karnataka.

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