Question

The Athirappilly Falls is located in which state?
A) Karnataka
B) Andhra Pradesh
C) Tamil Nadu
D) Kerala

Answer 1

Hint:
The Athirappilly Falls in India is located across the Chalakudy River which originates from the upper parts of the Western Ghats at the beginning to the Sholayar ranges. It stands 80 feet tall.

Complete Answer:
Athirappilly Falls is situated in Athirappilly Panchayat in Chalakudy Taluk of Thrissur district in Kerala. It is the largest waterfall in Kerala. The falls are dubbed “The Niagara Falls of India''. There are two more waterfalls in close proximity of these majestic falls which are the Vazhachal Falls and the Charpa Falls. These falls are home to many endangered and endemic species of flora and fauna. The Chalakudy River originates in the Anamudi Mountains of the Western Ghats, which is the highest peak of the Western Ghats, and then it flows through the Vazhachal forest towards the Arabian Sea. The river flows smoothly initially until it nears the Athirappilly Falls where it becomes more turbulent and remains turbulent after falling for the next 1 km until it reaches Kannamkuzhi, and then it flows smoothly until it reaches the Thumboormuzhi Dam.
The forest wildlife in the area includes the Lion-tailed Macaque, Indian elephant, Indian leopard, Bengal tiger, Gaur, and Sambar. This area is the only area where all the four South Indian species of hornbills are found living together, these are the Indian grey hornbill, the Great Hornbill, Malabar pied hornbill, and the Malabar grey hornbill. The Great hornbill, out of these, is the state bird of Kerala. Plantation in the area includes eucalyptus, teak, and bamboo.

Thus, option (D) is correct.

Note:
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) proposed a 163-megawatt Athirappilly Hydro Electric Project in 1994. It was to include a dam on the Chalakudy River in the Vazhachal Forest Division about 5 kilometers upstream of Athirappilly Falls. However, this project was opposed on the grounds that it’d damage the environment, infringe on human rights, and threaten tourism though the main concern of environmental groups opposing the project was that the Athirappilly-Vazhachal Falls would dry up. This debate continued till 2017.