Future Proofing Indian Cities: Towards an approach to spatial and

social analysis for sustainable development of Madurai

Kruthumal River: A Case Study: Examination of the significance of a
corridor within the ecological network.
Jayaraj Sundaresan. Development Planning Unit, University College London
J. Kanagavalli. DHAN Foundation, Madurai
In Collaboration with
Adriana Allen, Caren Levy, Cassiy Johnson: Development Planning Unit, Unversity College,
London
Madhan Kumar, Akhila, Senthil, Pradeep, Vasimalai: DHAN Foundation, Madurai

Introduction1
Future Proofing Cities (FPC) examines the current pathways of rapid urban
growth in the developing South and strives to innovate strategies for sustainable
development. By responding to the risks and vulnerabilities associated with
climate change (e.g. flooding, rising carbon emissions) and resource scarcities
(e.g. water, energy) the program aim to develop spatial and socio-political and
governance strategies that can promote sustainable development while reducing
multidimensional poverty. (Atkins and DPU 2013) Based on this broad approach
and in collaboration with IIHS and DHAN Foundation, a detailed diagnostic and
action planning process was initiated in India in March 2013 based on the cities
of Madurai and Bangalore. 2
A two-stage approach marked this process in Madurai. Collaborating with DPU
(UCL) and DHAN Foundation, ATKINS led the preparation of an urban diagnostic
report. This was followed by a fieldwork-based action planning process led by
DPU (UCL) in partnership with DHAN Foundation.
Collaborating with many local actors and organisations 3 the diagnostic report
identified locally relevant challenges to the sustainable development of Madurai.
Among the various challenges, how lands use transformations impact socioeconomic development through its impact on water, waste, and transport
infrastructure was identified as key challenges (Atkins 2013). Given the specific
hydro geomorphology of water systems in Madurai, the action planning process
that followed the diagnostic report concentrated to develop a deeper and
grounded understanding of the geography of water flows and its impact on the
citys future growth and communities. A conceptual language of Blue-Green
infrastructure was used to examine this as well as imagine ideas and operational
mechanism to address the challenges posed by urbanization. Blue-green
infrastructure refers to the intricately networked water system in Madurai
(Water tanks, rivers and channels, canals ground water) that forms the
fundamental ecological infrastructure on which life in Madurai is deeply
depended on. (Map 1 and 2)
Madurai region is dotted with hundreds of small and large water tanks that are
networked with its main river Vaigai and minor river Kruthumal with the help of
many distributor channels. Currently this blue-green infrastructure is severely
disrupted due to the pattern of decision-making and practices of urbanization. So
the action planning process concentrated to examine enabling pathways for the
sustainable development of this ecological infrastructure.

Cover Image: Jayaraj Sundaresan

Bangalore and Madurai represent large and small rapidly urbanizing regions in south India
respectively.
3 Refer to the diagnostic report for the detailed list of consultation workshops, local organizations,
field work and secondary sources that contributed to the diagnostic. Available from
www.futureproofingcities.com
2

Map 1-above-Various large water Tanks existing (blue) and reclaimed (red)
in Madurai Urban region. Source: (Sivakumar and Kanagavalli, 2007)
Map 2- below- Drainage basins in Madurai city and the water channels
including Kruthumal River (black) Source: Madurai Corporation

Identification of this network and its present status resulted in the proposition
that any path that promotes sustainable urbanisation of Madurai should move
beyond a bounded geography based approach to understand and address the
risk and vulnerabilities caused by the impact of the urban growth on water
systems.4 Instead it was proposed that an approach that recognises the ways in
which various water corridors network themselves to form an intricate water
system in Madurai should guide the key spatial imagination that govern the
current and the future planning of the city. This approach called for the effective
management of ecological infrastructure in the urban region like the network of
water resource infrastructure (river channels, water tanks, ground water, storm
water, grey water, roof water etc) to promote effective energy management,
densification, public space provision and urban agriculture among other
objectives.
For this purpose the Kruthumal river was studied in detail to produce a rapid
analysis and to ground an action planning process that would reveal the complex
interactions between ecological infrastructure, institutional governance, sociopolitical and environmental challenges in Madurai. This report will summarise
the key objectives, process and outcomes from this case study and highlight the
key issues and challenges that face the water and drainage ecology of Madurai.
The study examined the following in detail to understand the risk,
vulnerabilities and the capacities to act.
a. Origin of the river and its integration with the network
b. Role of the river as a cultural and ecological heritage
c. The risks and vulnerabilities posed by its current status on people and
environment
d. Relationship with land use pattern
e. How the set up of institutional governance contribute to the state of affairs
and what are their capacities
f. How many past and on-going projects and programs impact the river
corridor
g. What are the possible ways to restore the river and contribute to a
sustainable future of Madurai
Method: The lessons presented in this report emerged out of a detailed
documentation (mapping, photo and video) of about 15 kilometres of the
corridor (from its origins at the outskirts of the city to the urban end), interviews
with a wide range of people living adjacent to the river and three focus group
meetings (two meetings were with the communities living adjacent to the river
and one was with the experts, government officials and major land owners
adjacent to the river). During the process, the team studied how the river
corridor transforms from its natural spring origins to various locations across
the city. 5 This was documented in detail to examine the socio-spatial-ecological
Like the current DTP Schemes, existing forms of Land use planning, ward based thinking on
storm water management etc are bounded geography approaches.
5 Thuvariman, Achampattu, Virattipathu, Thanathavam, Ponmeni, Muthupandi Nagar, Sirungeri
Nagar, Ramnagar, Ellish Nagar, Gandhiji Colony, Thedeer Nagar, Malevasal, Kaja Street, FF Road,
Keerathurai, Chintamani, Samanatham
4

interactions as well as governance issues. The fieldwork and action research

process lasted for 4 weeks in November 2013.

In search of origins from the Nagamalai Hills

Image: Jayaraj Sundaresan

Kruthumal River corridor

The documentation revealed the significant role of Kruthumal River as a historic,
cultural, ecological and economic infrastructure in Madurai. Centuries ago,
Madurai city developed as a small urban settlement on the banks between the
rivers Kruthumal6 and Vaigai. Appearing in epics and sacred texts such as
Srimad Bhagavatham and Narayaneeyam7, Kruthumal has significant presence in
the written history of Madurai. It was also known as Narayana Cauvery.8 It
supplied water to the Ahazhi (Mote) around the Tirumalai Nayakkar palace in
Madurai. The river originated in the Nagamalai hills situated to the west of
Madurai city. We found original five natural springs,9 in the foothills of
Nagamalai all of which at some point fed into the Kruthumal River. Field
(Kiridima-Nadhi in the Public works departments memoirs of water bodies)
The Hindu, 19th May, 2012
8 Source: Local interviews
9 Pulloothu, Kakkaoothu, Paloothu, Thalaiyoothu and Nagatheertham (source- Neerindri)
6
7

enquiries revealed that, until about 5 decades ago, the river used to have eleven
months water flow and had an original bed width between 20 to 50 feet. Its
banks were adorned with Thalampoo10 plantations. The river catered for bathing,
washing and agriculture in addition to its role as a flood carrier and ground
water recharge. Several temples and cremation yards in Madurai are located
alongside; the traces of village settlements that are now embedded within the
urban fabric are conspicuous. Some religious rituals are performed even today
on the banks. Kruthumal used to supply water to the many water tanks and
catered also for direct irrigation. It was also used for draining the excess water
from the agricultural fields. It helped in maintaining a high ground water table of
good quality

From Thuvariman (inset) to the end at Samanatham Tank

Across the city along diverse locations;

Images: Jayaraj Sundaresan

10

Fragrant screw pine-Pandalus Odoratissinus

Above: Various temples and crematoria along side the Kruthumal river
Images: Jayaraj Sundaresan

Current Status of the Kruthumal River in Madurai: During 70s Kruthumal

had a full flow during the year. Over the period, many changes to the source, the
catchment and the inlet-outlet resulted in the depletion of the original source of
water. Well irrigation that boomed in the command area of the tanks resulted in
poor cooperation among the farmers. The river got encroached and its width
reduced drastically. Agricultural lands were converted for residential use. Land
use changes at the original catchment, the redirection of water to Nilayur
channel and the changed geomorphology of the Vaigai River contributed to the
drying up of the Kruthumal river channel.
Over the years, sandmining lowered the Vaigai riverbed, while the bed level of
the off-take channels from Vaigai11 carrying water to Kruthumal remained at the
higher elevation. For example, many pparts near the Thuvariman tank, Vaigai
river bed is upto 3 meters below the original bed level.12 This resulted into the
insufficient feeding of the supply channels dysfunctional even when there is a
normal flow.
Madakulam Keel Madurai as Madurai it was known refers to its location as a
village under Madakulam tank, expanded as urban area after 1950s. Many rural
communities migrated to city and settled on either sides of the river corridor.
Inefficient Planning to meet the demand for space along with the poor
infrastructure facilities of the newly developed areas resulted in the utilization of
the Kruthumal River channel for sewage and waste disposal. Further, several
encroachments (temporary and permanent) and many other forms of blocks
contributed to its degradation.
A basic documentation of the river channel revealed how the adjoining land uses
transform the river corridor. For example from Thuvariman tank to Achampathu,
the river is relatively clean. The first ingress of wastewater occurs between
from Kodimangalam feeding Thuvariman tank, Madakulam tank, Kochadai tank and other
Water resources department, Water resources department, 2004, Micro level environmental
status report for Vaigai river basin
11
12

Achampathu and Virattupathu. This is worsened as on moves into the city. At

the central parts of the city, for example, near Periyar bus stand, the river
becomes a swamp of solid waste, heavy metals, sewage, sullage, and other kind
of waste from different parts of the city. Not only do individual households,
public and semi-public institutions and industries discharge their waste water
onto the channel but the municipal corporations centralized sewage system as
well as the septic tank cleaning companies also utilizes the channel to dispose of
waste in large quantities. In many places like Achampathu, Virattipathu, Dhidir
Nagar and so on, one could notice how the local governments solid waste
disposal agencies dispose of the solid waste onto the channel. Such behavior is
further adopted by local residents as well. Solid waste disposed all along the
river length includes animal waste from meat and fish selling units and corpses
of dead animals. Moreover, the waste water (read sewage) is blocked using
various means to pump up to grow greens and vegetables. Due to insufficient
capacity of the drainage and sewerage network and the waste disposal system, a
large number of land uses along the river corridor use the channel to get rid of
their waste; these include cattle farms, rice mills, garage and metal works and so
on. This highly poisonous wastewater is finally drained on to Samanatham tank
again in the south East of the city, before it moves on13.
At many places the channel is concretized partially without giving proper
gradient and cross section. Though a baby channel at the center aims to
compensate for the ground water recharge, it is fully silted and infested with
weeds resulting in the blockage of flow and stagnation of polluted water.
Concretization of the channel edge as well as the riverbed (funded by JnNURM
project) not only reduced the channel width (abrupt reduction of channel, it
varies between 12 m to 3m) but it also leads to flooding in many places even
during a normal rainfall, Further, it is needless to mention how this would affect
the ground water recharge.

The table below gives the details of current use of the river at various places in
the city.
S.No
1

Type of
pollution
Dumping of
sewage and
solid wastes

Discharge of
Sewage

By whom

Location

Implication on the
community

Individuals
households
industries
and
institutions
Septic tank
cleaning

Throughout the
corridor

Bye pass road

Mixing of sewage
with good water
Poor ground water
quality
Decreased ground
water table

Near Samanatham the channel is bifurcated in to two branches, out of which one goes to
Samanatahm tank and another one goes to Karisal Kulam and finally it drains on to Konthagai
tank.
13

Discharge
from
centralized
sewage
network
Dumping of
dead
animals

Discharge of
waste water

Discharge of
heavy
metals

companies,
By the
corporation

Virattipathu.
Sirungerinagar,
kaja street, FF
road,
Keeraithurai
Theeder nagar

Individuals,
corporation,
Southern
Railway
companies , Sirungerinagar,
Institutions Ellish nagar,
Kajastreet,
Melavasal
Keeraithurai,
Hospitals,
Ellish nagar, FF
gold smiths, road

stagnation of solid
wastes in the river
Mosquito breeding
Incidence of cough
and cold
Mixing of heavy
metals
Insects, snakes
feeling out of the
channel

Above: Kruthumal river and its supply channels

Map courtesy: J.Kanagavalli, DHAN Foundation

Ownership and management of the system tanks and water bodies and river
channels in Madurai used to be the responsibility of the Public Works
Department. Being a department that manages such networked infrastructure
across the region, their management style considered the corridor in its entirety
rather than as fragmented pieces located in different parts of the city. A couple of
decades ago, the maintenance responsibility of those parts of the water network
that ceased to have an ayacut within the city were transferred to the Municipal
Corporation. Being an organization that works mostly with ward boundaries and
city corporation boundaries and over strained on its services infrastructure and
management capabilities, the river corridor ( and other such water channels)
became the default location that the corporation depended on to solve the
challenges that arose out of the insufficient waste management capacity.
In short a complex confluence of situations, actors, institutional governance
setup and so on resulted in the transformation of Kruthumal River that used to
be one of the very significant ecological, cultural and heritage infrastructure that
contributed to a range of eco system services like micro climate stabilization,
ground water recharge, purification of the soil and so on in Madurai to become a
sewage channel that just carries the dirt of Madurais urban life.

Everyday living conditions alongside the Kruthumal for informal settlements.

Melevasal (above) and Dhidir Nagar (below)
Image: Jayaraj Sundaresan

10

List of informal settlements communities along the Kruthumal river corridor

Sl.
No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18

Name of the Slum

Bodi Railway line
Chitalatchi nagar
Ellisnagar east & kankani
street
Gandhiji Colony
Virattipathu Kokkalapy
Susai mickeal colony
Chinthamani Road
Indira colony
Keela theru, Chinthamani
Mela theru, Chinthamani
Susaiapperpuram
Nagammal Madam
Odaikarai
Shandhi nagar &
thaiyumanavarsamy nagar
F.F. Road
Heeranagar
Melavasal
Thideernagar
Total

Ward No
(new)
17
17

No of Houses
in the slum
260
175

Slum
population
1300
875

17

300

1500

17
22
57
58
58
58
58
58
64
64

NA
262
320
NA
232
NA
NA
NA
301
141

NA
1311
1600
NA
1158
NA
NA
NA
1506
705

64

130

652

65
78
78
78

210
468
438
1150

1050
2340
2190
5750

4387

21937

11

From left to right from top: Pollution from the overflowing manholes, community
toilets let off onto the river, septic tanker Lorries draining off their collection,
individual household dumping solid waste, corporation network pumping on to
the river, pollution from metal polishing factories.
Image: Jayaraj Sundaresan

12

In its present state, the river corridor actively contributes to poor living
condition in the city - polluted environment, unhealthy agriculture, water borne
diseases, flooding, water stagnation, and poses very high challenges to any
remediation efforts. Within the city, the river passes through 16 wards; many
middle class locations and 18 informal settlements. While the middle class
localities suffer from the foul smell, mosquitoes and threat of communicable
diseases, the informal settlement dwellers suffer the most due to their active
dependency and proximity to this water body. Even though the whole city
contributes to the pollution, significant impacts are felt by the informal
settlements adjacent to the channel. Further, the farmers downstream who
depend on the water from the river are affected severely.
Due to the unplanned development upstream, the river became a default carrier
of sewage and sullage from the households. Since there is no flow in the river,
banks were encroached by buildings and the wastewater from most of that
drains on to the river. The many tanks to which this river carried water dried
and the means of ground water recharge disappeared. Further, when the
riverbanks and tanks are encroached, the tanks do not anymore function as flood
moderators; the area around these water bodies gets frequently flooded.
Though the city gets 928 mm of annual rainfall, the groundwater table fluctuates
highly. Moreover the quality of ground water quality is poor and not potable. As
a result the citys water needs are met from the sources based on Vaigai River
and reservoirs located 70 km from the city. Individual households depend on
tube well extraction and this has resulted into rapidly depleting ground water
table. Madurai has clearly exhausted its shallow aquifers. Number and the depth
of bore wells are increasing every year posing serious questions on water
management.
The river corridor emanates the worst foul smell throughout the day and attracts
umpteen mosquito colonies. Mosquitoes not only take over the urban public
space after in the evenings but also actively spread a range of communicable
diseases. It was reported by interviewees that the expenditure on health,
mosquito repellents and electricity (for Fan and Air Conditioners) have
increased drastically. The polluted water contributes to spread of water borne
diseases such as frequent fever, chronic cough and skin infections.
Towards Kruthumal restoration:
Many ideas emerged from the many interactive sessions held with experts,
officials, general public and informal settlement communities in Madurai. These
include:
Protection of source: Kruthumal origin at Thuvariman Lake should be
protected to revive the origin and to ensure water flow in the channel.
Madakulam and Thuvariman tanks and their catchments should be protected.
During the monsoon, water should be diverted from Nilaiyur channel to enable

13

flow in Kruthumal; this will not only clean the channel but also will reduce
encroachments and improve ground water recharge.
Regulation of sand mining: Rivers, channels running close to city are found to
be mostly prone to extensive sand mining damaging the ecology of these water
bodies. Sand mining should be regulated.
Effective storm water management: All the storm water drains should be
properly connected to the Kruthumal to ensure monsoon flow. Further, sewage
and sullage and other polluting waste water outlets into the storm water drains
should be sealed.
Efficient and complete sewerage networks: Effective systems are to be put in
place for underground drainage and solid waste management that cater to the
future population growth. A large number of properties in the city, both formal
and informal are not connected to the existing sewage and drainage network.
Such properties continue to discharge into the citys channels in addition to the
large scale pumping by concerned authorities and commercial sewage disposal
companies. A detailed analysis should identify the shortcomings of the existing
wastewater network to improve their connectivity to the treatment plants.
Building Social capital: Citizens should recognize the importance of the river.
Therefore appropriate platforms for campaign advocacy and multi-stakeholder
involvement should be developed. Government should take proper steps for
building/placing the proper basic services to the slum dwellers in that corridor.
Enforcement of Law: Though there are laws to evict the encroachers of
waterways, interference of political figures makes it difficult to enforce such laws.
Therefore a bottom up program should be envisaged. People should be
mobilized to protect the water bodies so that law enforcement could be more
effective. Special laws should be enacted within the local body and state
government to protect the waterways and water bodies. Eviction of
encroachment, construction of access roads on either side of Kruthumal, tre
planting and so on could open the corridor as a valuable public space. This will
ensure that people will have a healthy relationship with the river corridor and
the river does not remain in the backyard of the public eye.

14

Conclusion
In urbanizing agrarian regions in South India, the intricately interconnected
water networks and water systems are key ecological infrastructure- for ground
water recharge, drainage, microclimate, water quality, public health, food
security, diversity, equity, and public space.
Development trajectory of Madurai exemplified by the state of its water systems,
in particular, the lessons from the analysis of Kruthumal river corridor confirms
to the FPIC hypothesis that the city is getting locked into unsustainable pathways
During this current paradigm of urban development where enhancement of
private capacities is given importance, sustainable development of cities will
depend on how we will be able to restore or rehabilitate its fundamental public
infrastructures. In the long run, the deteriorated public infrastructure and
commons definitely is going to make private life more and more expensive. In
this process those who cannot afford and the urban poor will be the most
vulnerable. This is exemplified in the current growth trajectory of Madurai.
Analysis of Kruthumal corridor also exemplified the hypothesis that a bounded
geography based analysis and policy practice fashionable in Indian cities as
exemplified in the case of Madurai - continues to make these cities unliveable.
Analysis of the water systems in Madurai (from the Kruthumal corridor
experience) indicates that a network and corridors based conceptualisation is
essential for the restoration of urban ecological infrastructure.
Institutional governance, land use planning practices and day-to-day
management of the urban affairs requires need to be restructured to address the
problems embedded in the ecological morphology of such urban regions.
Analysis of Kruthumal corridor thus exposed the weakness of existing forms of
urban management practices - for example the transfer of responsibility of
management of water corridors from the PWD to Corporation, lack of an
ecological Master Plan that could underpin the land use plans and specific wards
based project planning processes and so on have worsened the state of urban life
in Madurai. Even though politically bounded geographies like a ward should be
an important geography of decision-making, for ecological infrastructure that
underlies the sustainable growth of a city like Madurai, it is important to
delineate separate administrative mechanisms for the maintenance of a network
infrastructure like the water systems.

15

Individuals and institutions have collectively contributed to the state of urban

deterioration in Madurai. Thus this is a collective responsibility rather than that
of the Municipal Corporation and government agencies alone. Therefore,
development of institutional systems that would assume collective responsibility
is urgent and appropriate. Conventional orthodoxy of the state as policy maker,
plan maker, implementer and enforcer should pave ways for more inclusive
understanding of governing process and institutional arrangements. Therefore
we propose that a governance network should be developed for the restoration
of water systems in Madurai.
In Madurai, there are already existing examples to learn from, like the City
Technical Action Group, the water tank collectives, etc., where a range of actors
collaborate together to increase awareness, identify solutions and support
implementation of programs. Specific knowledge systems such as civil
engineering, planning and administrative capacities should be integrated with
ecological understanding and social institution building processes; this could
integrate officials and administrators, experts, NGOs, CBOs and other social
institutions to build social and political capital and trusteeship around issues of
governing the commons and urban public infrastructure.

16

Appendix 1
Causes of degradation of Kruthumal river and suggested remedial
measures
Components

Implications on
Problems
community
Change in the Reduced
yield
hydrology
from
the
catchment

Technical
Indiscriminate
sand mining
in Vaigai river
bed

Off take points of

the
channels
from Vaigai river
for
feeding
Kruthumal and
other
tanks
remain at higher
level, since the
river bed level
has gone down.
Sedimentation Heavy
weed
growth in the
bed affecting the
carrying capacity
of the channel
Encroachment
of river course
and its supply
channel

Improper
lining of river
with concrete
Solid
waste
dumping

Social

Remedial measures
Revival of river hydrology
through
controlled
urbanization
in
the
catchment
area
and
catchment treatment
Regulating
the
sand
mining
to
facilitate
restoration of riverbed
naturally, supplying water
from Vaigai
through
Nilaiyur channel to the
Kruthumal river.

Periodical desilting of
channels and cleaning of
the debris, weeds in the
channels.
Ensuring
minimum flows in the
channel for sustained
environmental pollution.
Flooding
Demarcation of river and
channel boundaries ,
removal
of
encroachments , laying
the roads , planting trees
on either sides of the river
and enforcement of the
existing laws to protect
Kruthumal
Stagnation
of Restoring the original
flow
causing cross section and bed
mosquito
gradient of the river.
breeding
Choking of the Provision of sufficient
river and supply number dumper bins,
channel sections periodical removal of
solid wastes, Awareness
raising
among
the
community, promotion of
river
conservation

17

committees
monitoring
corridor

the

for
river

Discharge of Mosquito
sewage
and breeding , bad
sullage
into odour, incidence
the river
of water borne
diseases

Provision of properly
designed
sewage
network, source control of
sewage, elimination of
illegal
sanitary
connections
to
the
Kruthumal /storm water
network
Poor
Indiscriminate
Awareness raising among
community
misuse of the the
community,
participation
river
promotion
of
river
conservation committees
for monitoring the river
corridor
Insufficient
Water
borne Rectification of defects in
capacity
of diseases
the
existing
sewage
sewage
/increased
networks and providing
system,
medical
sufficient
additional
mixing
of expenses
sewage systems. Proper
sewage with
alignment of drinking
drinking
water
pipes to avoid
water,
mixing of sewage water.
damaged
sewage pipes,
unhygienic
environment
unhygienic living Increasing the side wall
Human
interference
height along the corridor,
conditions ,
such as solid
social mobilization to
waste
protect the river
Mosquito
dumping,
menace, water
Sewage
borne diseases,
discharge
increased
disease burden
and
medical
expenditure
affecting
livelihood
Unhygienic
Disease burden, Ensuring periodical flow
living
declining social in the channel and
conditions
interactions
planting trees along the
Environmental
banks
Reduced fresh Declined ground Ensuring periodical flow

18

water flow in water table and

the river due water
quality,
to pollution
increased
temperature
Poor ground water crisis
water quality

in the channel and

planting trees along the
banks
Protecting the Kruthumal
basin

Appendix 2
Source of water Kruthumal
Kruthumal carried the surplus water from Thuvariman tank and the drainage
from Thuvariman command area, Achampathu spring channel, surplus water
from Madakulam and Kochadai tanks in the west of Madurai city and storm
water of the Madurai city. Thuvariman tank received its supply from its free
catchment and also from Vaigai. A channel made out of dry stone masonry
Corambu (temporary weir) in Kodimangalam village diverts the Vaigai river
water and feeds the Thuvariman tank. The surplus water from Thuvariman tank
was then drained onto Kruthumal River.
At the downstream side Madakulam tank and Thengal tank that received its
main supply from Vaigai River through a channel from the Vaigai River in the
Kodimangalam village. The surplus of these tanks drained into the Kruthumal
through the weir located near Virattipathu.
Other than this, Kruthumal also received water from Vaigai through Anuppanadi,
Avaniyapuram, Chintamani, Nilaiyur, Paniyur and Sottathatti channels through
the head sluice constructed in the Vaigai River. The 1868 Gazetteer says that
water was also taken from the Vaigai for irrigation by constructing check dams
downstream. Further Surplus flood from Vaigai was diverted to Kruthumal
through the link canal below Madurai and above the Virahanur regulator that
was also sanctioned by the government in 1979. 14
Kruthumal River runs for about 74 km and have a total basin area of 1251.3615
sq.km. It supplies water along its course to about 784 tanks (total ayacut of
37559.74 ha) in Madurai, Virudhunagar, Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram
districts). The total length of the river in the city is about 18 km long from
Achampattu to Samanatham tank. Due to the development of the city and
encroachments of the Kruthumal River the original width got narrowed down at
many places and a few tanks in the upper reach disappeared.
Nilayur Channel: During the Tirumalai Nayakkar period in 17th century,
Nilaiyur channel was formed to carry the floodwater from Vaigai to
Government of Tamilnadu, Water resources department, March 2012, Micro level reappraisal
study Vaigai river basin.
15 Source :Tank cascade atlas prepared by DHAN foundation
14

19

Koothiyarkundu village near Tirumangalam. It is the biggest channel between

Peranai and Viraganur regulator with an ayacut of 3080.50ha.16 It takes off on
the right side of Vaigai at 16km below the Peranai regulator. It takes flow from
Vaigai during the monsoon. In 1932 the then collector J.P Hall 17 ruled that
Vaigai water should be diverted to Nilaiyur channel only when the flow in Vaigai
exceeds 500 cusecs and the depth of water flowing in the Nilaiyur channel
should always be kept at 4 feet. Meanwhile the government sanctioned another
scheme to extend the Nilaiyur channel for irrigating additional 935.1ha. Now the
Thuvariman tank and Madakulam tanks are supplied from Nilaiyur channel
through the outlet located at LS 13720 of Nilaiyur channel when there is excess
flow.

Appendix 3
Participants List- Focus Group meeting 1 with informal settlements
S.No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Area
Melavasal
Thideernagar
Heera nagar
Thideer
nagar
Melavasal
Thideernagar
Melevasal

Occupation
Maid
Idly shop
Flower seller
Worker in
Comm. Toilet
House wife
House Wife
Corporation
Sweeper
Sanitaiton
worker

Resident
32 years
42 years
30 years
11 years

Tenure
Building
Own House /Blg
Tiled house
Building

65 years
40 years
25 years

Thatch to Building
Rented
Rented

Melvasal

40 years

Rented

9
10
11

Heera Nagar
Thidir Nagar
Thideernagar Tiffen Centre

25 years
35 years
18

Rented
Own House
Leased house

12

Thideernagar -

42

Own house

13

Melavasal

14
15

Alavutheen
Thoppu
Heera Nagar

16

Heera Nagar

46
Corporation
worker
Sweaper
(Retired), now
Cattle rearing
Electrician
34

Housing Board

Fish Merchant

40

Encroached area

Electrician,

40

Rented

Leased house

Government of Tamilnadu, Water resources department, March 2012, Micro level reappraisal
study Vaigai river basin.
17 Collector J.P.halls circular
16

20

17

flower tieing
Thideernagar Flower tiyng
Rickshaw
driver.

60

Own House

Appendix 4
Participants list Focus Group meeting 2 with Informal Settlements
S.No.

Area

Occupation

Resident

Tenure

FF Road

40 years

Own House

Nagammal
Madom

Carpenter
Family
Wood
Workshop

30 years

Own House

3
4

Keerathurai
Nagammal
madam

Cooli Tricycle
Husband-head
load worker

25 years
20 years

Tiled house
Rented House

Nagammal
madam

House wifeHusband metal

works

20 years

Own House

Thekuvasal

House Wife
Husband Corporation
worker

35 years

Own House

South gate

Petty Shop

52 years

Rented

Nagammal
Madam

Papad making

10 years

Keerathurai

Agricultural
worker

8 years

10
11

Keerathurai
Papad making
Nadarthoppu Making sweets

12 years
7

Own House

12

Keerathurai

10

Own house

13

Irulappa
Swami Koyil
Street

30

Own House

14

South Gate

Kalanjiam
associate

25

15

Heera Nagar

Fish Merchant

40

Encroached area

21

Appendix 5
Participants list Focus Group meeting 3 with experts, and representative of
adjacent land uses and farmers
Sl.N
o

Name

Address/identity

1 S.Venkataraman

Resident, TVS Nagar

2 R.Venkatraman

Historian, Andalpuram, Madurai

3 V.Vendatachalam

Archeologist, Madurai-2

4 S.M Ratnavel

Rtd.Chief Engineer (PWD) Madurai

5 A.Gurunathan

Dhan Foundation

6 S.Bojarajan

Retired Corporation Engineer

Associate Professor (civil) Thiagarajar College of
Engineering

7 S.Chardran
8 D.Saranyadevi
G.S.D Nandhini
9 Devi

Student, Thiagarajar College of Enggineering

Student, Thiagarajar College of Enggineering

10 M.Cholarajan

Farmer, Narikkudi

11 K.Muthiaya

Farmer, Narikkudi

12 S.Ramachathiran

Farmer, Narikkudi

13 Malaichamy

Melamelgudi, Manamadurai

14 N.Venkatesan
N.Shanmuga
15 sundaram

Dhan Foundation

16 R.Selvam
M.P Esther lily
17 darathi

Resident, Sellur Maduari

18 M.Angaleshwari

Manamaduari vayalagam

19 S.Ahiladevi

Dhan Foundation

20 K.P Bharathi

Dhan Tourisum

21 G.Poojarirajan

Narikkudi vayalagam, Famers collective

22 S.Pradeep

Dhan Foundation

23 T.Veerapathiran

Dhan Foundation

24 J.Kanagavalli

Dhan Foundation

25 A.MadhanKumar
26 A.K.Senthil Kumar

Dhan Foundation

27

S.Arunjaipeter
pradheep

Fpai, Madurai branch, Ellish nagar

M.A.N.U Gr.Hr. Sec School, Keeraithurai

DHAN Foundation
DHAN Foundation

22

Appendix 6
Voices from the community
1. Corporation should act properly to revive Kruthumal
Bojarajan, Madurai.
I served as sanitary inspector in Madurai
Corporation and retired in 2008. In my service, I
have seen the Kruthumal River only as sewage
carrier. But I learnt from my ancestors that
Kruthumal was supplying water for Irrigation and to
Madurai city. In those days the river was flowing in
the periphery of the city. When there was a heavy
rainfall, this river was used to drain the runoff and
the same was used for irrigation. But today since
the river passes in the middle of the city and there is no water, people are using
it as place for dumping their solid waste. Sewage is let into the river even after
laying the centralized sewage system. Corporation [have] two schemes for
managing the citys solid waste and underground sewerage system for collection
and treatment of sewage. Because of corporations negligence both the systems
are not working properly. As per MADURAI CITY MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
ACT(MCMC ACT) there are rules for managing solid waste and sewage within
the city. According to that drainage in to the river can be stopped with strict
rules and regulations and the polluters can be prosecuted. If the sewage letting in
to the river is stopped there river will be dry. There wont be any disease spread
and water borne diseases could be controlled. Reviving the river is impossible
because there no source at all but the river could be protected by not allowing
the sewage into it.
2. Revive the river to revive the Agriculture
Mr.Muthaiah, Farmer. Veerakudi, Narikudi Federation
Kruthumal River is flowing near my village. In earlier days there [used to be]
water in Kruthumal River. It is called
Kruthumal as it was believed that the river
came because of Perumal Kiruthu (Lord
Vishnus blessings), drainage of Vaigai,
drainage from the agriculture lands were
contributing to this river, in those days
surplus from more than ten tanks were
draining into Kruthumal river, after the
construction of Vaigai dam the flow got
reduced. Today River is passing through
Madurai city, in the city people are dumping their solid waste and Sewage is
discharged in to Kruthumal River. So the river is polluted. This sewage should be
treated before letting in to the river. Since there is no water in the river

23

agriculture is affected , ground water depleted, prosodies Juliflora jungles came

in, now we are facing the water crisis for agriculture , if the river is revived the
ground water will be developed and we will be able to get at least one crop in a
year.
3. Dying river should be revived
Dr.V.Vedhachalam, retired senior epigraphist
I am retired epigraphist from Archeology Department, Government of
Tamilnadu. I have undertaken researches about the Channels, rivers and tanks in
Vaigai and Madurai. Kruthumal means
(Kiruthu + Malai) hand woven garland.
Kruthumal flows in the west of Madurai
received its supply from Vaigai river, from
Nagamalai hills and surplus from the
tanks near Nagamalai hills.
During
pandya period, a channel called Nattaru
(Nattaru means channel formed by local
people) was laid to bring water to
Madakulam, then the water from
Nagamalai is linked with Nattaru. From
the 17th century drawings of Madurai there were 3 tanks supplied by Kruthumal
River. These tanks were located near Periyar bustand, Railway station and
Madura coats. When the river passes through Madurai, it got bifurcated in to two
near Koodal Alagar temple, one of them was supplying water to Ahazhi (Mhote)
in the fort and the another one was supplying water to many tanks in the east of
the city beyond the fort. The bifurcation of river was looking like garland around
Madurai. This river was a main source of drinking water to Madurai and it was
also protecting Madurai. Madurai has two Rivers, Vaigai in the north and
Kruthumal in the south, one among them are vanishing and it should be brought
back.
4. Restore Kruthumal river to improve the ground water
Dr.S.Chandran, Thiyagarajar college of Engineering, Madurai
I work at the Department of Civil Engineering in Thiyagarajar college of
Engineering; I research on Environmental
management, water and wastewater in urban
environment. Kruthumal originates from
Thuvariman and flows about 73 kms feeding
number of tanks. It was the main source for
ground water in southern part of Madurai.
City is growing keeping the Madurai
Menakshi temple as an epic centre. In the
northern part of the city, Periyar main canal
feeds the tanks and it contributes to ground water recharge. In the southern side,
we have more than six channels taking off from Vaigai, but over the period due to
sand mining and continuous sewage flow, the bed level of the river has gone
24

down and the off take channels bed came to a higher level. As a result the tanks
fed by these channels have become empty. Increasing population in the southern
part of the city generates more waste water and this sewage water is now
conveyed through these channels. This is the scenario in the past 30 years. If
Kruthumal River flows perennially, ground water of Madurai could be improved.
5. Revival of Kruthumal is possible
Er.S.M.Ratnavel, Former Chief Engineer (PWD).
Kruthumal River is a drainage course of surplus water
from Vaigai River. To revive Kruthumal, Vaigai river
should flow and portion of water from Vaigai river should
be diverted through Kruthumal. Every year water is
diverted from Vaigai river through Nilaiyur channel. Then
Madurai collector Mr. J.P Halls circular is misinterpreted
by the officials and allowed 500cusecs of water every year
through the Nilaiyur channel. In his circular he allowed
water through Nilaiyur channel only for one crop but now
they are allowing water for three crops. If a portion of
water from Nilaiyur is diverted through the Kruthumal, Kruthumal may possibly
be cleaned and original Kruthumal could be revived to some extent.
6. Government should join hands with community to stop pollution
K.Siraj Banu, Theeder Nagar , Thenmadurai Vattara Kalanjiam
I am from Thedeer nagar area located on the bank
of Kruthumal River. I am living in this area for
more than 33 years. In our area mosquito is a big
problem. People living in Melavasal area are
rearing pigs and cows and they are throwing all the
wastes like piggery waste cow dung, banana leaves
in to Kruthumal River. Other than that residents
from our area are throwing all household wastes
also in to the river. About 18 years back I have seen
Kruthumal was flowing with good water. Today the river is polluted not only by
the poor community, who are living around the river but also educated people
having institutions and industries, which should be stopped. Because of the
pollution in the river even a child was died some years ago in our area. People
living in this area are getting a lot of diseases, we spend lot of money for
hospitals. To revive Kruthumal other than community Government also should
take responsibility to stop the discharge of polluted water in the river. Solid
waste and storm water should be separated and river should not be polluted any
more. There should be strong action against the polluters. We will take the
responsibility of creating awareness among the community to bring the change.

25

7. Role of community is crucial in reviving Kruthumal

Lakshmi, Theeder Nagar , Thenmadurai Vattara Kalanjiam

very crucial.

I am Lakshmi living in Theeder nagar area for more

than 20years. Because of the Kruthumal river there is
lot of mosquitoes. People are dumping all the solid
wastes in to the river, so the river is blocked and
water is not flowing. During the rainy season, if rains
continuously for four to five days the river overflows
and flows onto the streets. I understand In the process
of reviving the Kruthumal the role of community is

References cited

Atkins and DPU 2013: Executive Summary and Report, Future Proofing
Cities. Available from www.futureproofingcities.com
Descriptive Memoirs of irrigation works in the Kiridimanathi minor
basin of Lower gundar basin (1898), public works department , Chepak
Detailed Project Report On Strom Water Drainage works in Madurai
Corporation, Submitted to JnNURM
Francis, W (1906): Madras District Gazetteers: Madura, Volume 1
(Madras: Superintendent, Government Press),
Krishnamurthy.S (2004), Tamilnadu water resources consolidation
project, Micro level environmental status report for Vaigai river basin ,
Government of Tamilandu
PWD(March 2012) Micro level reappraisal study Vaigai river basin, Vol 1
Government of Tamilandu
Sivakumar.R and Kanagavalli.J(2007). Neerindri , Dhan Foundation,
Madurai.
The Hindu, 19th May, 2012, www.thehindu.in

26