KBA Profile: Noyil River
National Site Name Noyil River
English Name
KBA delineation Catchment
yes - the upper Siruvani & Anaikatty rivers are the only permanent rivers remaining in the Focal area delineation catchment
The Noyil River is a now mostly a seasonal river that originates from the Siruvani Hills, Vellangiri Hills and Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats, and flows into the Cauvery River. The upper catchments include the Aandi Sunai from the Vellangiri Hills, Siruvani and Anaikatty rivers (which are still permanent and forested with agriculture) from the Porathi Hills, Chinaru from the Kodungarai Valley Hills, and from Orathi and Ayyasamy Falls. The Noyil River is highly modified including in the upper catchments, and the only permanent water is in the very upper catchment Site description (Siruvani and Anaikatty rivers) and in the man made lakes and reservoirs. The river is now damed and there is high levels of water extraction, pollution from textile industries and sewage from urban areas. Little research has been undertaken in this river on freshwater biodiversity, and the presence of most of the KBA fish trigger species (which would be in the Siruvani and Anaikatty rivers and possibly in the man made lakes and reservoirs) are based on expert opinion and not confirmed record.
Management required at Yes catchment scale
Management required at focal Yes area within catchment
KBA Trigger Species
Group Species Criterion1 Criterion2 Criterion3 Notes
Fishes Hypselobarbus dubius EN NA NA Possible
Osteochilichthys Fishes NA 17719.15974 NA Possible brevidorsalis
Fishes Puntius cauveriensis EN NA NA Possible Odonata Macromia cingulata NA 39140.78864 NA
Megalogomphus Odonata NA 10298.96507 NA superbus
Plants Anaphalis beddomei VU NA NA
Plants Anaphalis leptophylla VU NA NA
Plants Chara hydropitys NA 5733.7575 NA
Plants Fimbristylis crystallina EN NA NA
Plants Hydrocotyle conferta EN NA NA
Plants Murdannia esculenta NA 12800.79248 NA
Plants Rotala ritchiei EN 10243.85484 NA
Add - map wrong. This is a confirmed record in Fishes Balitora mysorensis VU the Siruvani River.
Potential KBA Stakeholders*
Siruthuli (NGO)
Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
EIA Resource and Response Centre, Nilgiri
Environmentalist Foundation of India
Osai (NGO)
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
Tamil Nadu State Biodiversity Board
Zoo Outreach Organisation
Tamil Nadu Forest Department
ATREE Care Trust
Arulagam
Noyil River Conservation Committtee
Karunya University
Zoological Survey of India, Southern Regional Station
KBA Freshwater Habitats
Only the very upper catchment, in the Focal Area (Siruvani 5.1 Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks(includes waterfalls) River)
5.2 Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks
5.5 Permanent Freshwater Lakes(over 8ha) Trigger fish species habitats
5.8 Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools(under 8ha)
15.1 Water Storage Areas(over 8ha)
Threats to KBA
Threats (IUCN Classification Scheme) Notes
1.1 Housing & urban areas
1.2 Commercial & industrial areas
1.3 Tourism & recreation areas
2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops
2.3 Livestock farming & ranching
2.4 Marine & freshwater aquaculture 3.2 Mining & quarrying Sand mining
7.2 Dams & water management/use Dams and water extraction (in focal areas this is for brick kilns)
8.1 Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases Fish and plants
9.1 Domestic & urban waste water
9.2 Industrial & military effluents
9.3 Agricultural & forestry effluents
9.4 Garbage & solid waste
Conservation actions for KBA
Conservation actions (IUCN In Needed Notes Classification place Scheme)
The focal areas (upper Siruvani & Anaikatty rivers) are already partially designated as 1.1 Site/area the Siruvani and Anaikatty Reserve Forests, but as the rivers leaves these reserves Yes Yes protection the water is extracted e.g. for brick kilns - so better protection is needed in the forrested areas downstream of the exisiting forest reserves.
1.2 Resource & Yes For permanent freshwater lakes habitat protection
2.1 Site/area Yes For permanent freshwater lakes and reservoirs management
2.2 Invasive/problematic Yes species control
2.3 Habitat & natural process Yes Restoration of flow regime in focal areas restoration
3.1 Species Yes Research into presence and status of freshwater biodiversity in the KBA management
4.1 Formal Textile Industry, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Brick kiln industry, Forest Yes education Department
Textile Industry, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Brick kiln industry, Forest 4.2 Training Yes Department
4.3 Awareness & Yes All stakeholders communications
5.2 Policies and Brick Kiln, Plantations (for water extraction), textile/dyeing industry in the lower Yes regulations basin (water extraction and pollution)
5.3 Private sector Brick Kiln, Plantations (for water extraction), textile/dyeing industry in the lower Yes standards & codes basin (water extraction and pollution)
5.4 Compliance and Implementation of Wetland (Conservation and Management) Act 2010 & Water Yes enforcement (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974.
Food Security
Used for food security Score Notes
1. Subsistence
Optional/alternative 2
Essential staple 1
Emergency 0
2. Commercial
Local 2
Regional 0
National 0
3.Migrant fishers 0
Notes Other
Other biodiversity Macrobrachium gurudeve (a threatened freshwater shrimp) is possibly also found in this KBA focal area.
Protected areas There are two forest reserves (Anaikatty and Siruvani) covering the very upper reaches of the catchment. overview
1. Mohanraj, R., Sathishkumar, M., Azeez, P.A. and Sivakumar, R. 2000. Pollution Status of Wetlands in Urban Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 64:638-643. 2. Pragatheesh, A. and Jain, P. 2013. Environmental Degradation of the Coimbatore Wetlands in the Noyyal References River Basin. EIA Resource and Response Centre (ERC), Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu, India. 3. Pragatheesh, A. and Jain, P. 2013. Thadagam – Valley of Brick Kilns – Lost River and Disturbed Wildlife. EIA Resource and Response Centre (ERC), Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu, India.
Dahanukar, N., Jayachandran, K.V., Irudayaraj, V., Iyer, P., Katwate, U., Krutha, S.K., Molur, S., Pati, S.K., Acknowledgments Pragatheesh, A. Raghavan, R., Rehel, S.M., Sivaramakrishnan, K.G. and Subbramanian, K.A.
* Potential KBA stakeholders have not been contacted in any official capacity nor have they endorsed the KBA – they are a list of potential stakeholders to inform any organisation or individual who may want to undertake conservation activities on freshwater biodiversity in this KBA