1.
Idukki district
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Idukki is one of the 14 districts of Kerala state, India, created on 26 January 1972. At that time, the headquarters was at Kottayam. In June 1976 it was moved to Painavu, Idukki which lies in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Idukki is the second largest district in area but has the lowest population density, Idukki has a vast forest reserve area, more than a half of the district is covered by forests. The urban areas are densely populated villages are sparsely populated. The name of the district is derived from the Malayalam word Idukku, Idukki has an area of 4,358 km2 and is the second largest District of Kerala. Rugged mountains and forests cover about 97 percent of the area of the District. The district is only by road. Rail and airlink is not available, National Highway NH49 and State highways 13 and 33 passes through the district. Anamudi, the highest peak in India south of the Himalayas, is in the Kuttampuzha Panchayat of Adimali Block, thirteen other peaks in the district exceed a height of 2,000 m. The Periyar, Thodupuzhayar and Thalayar are the important rivers of the district, Idukki Dam, Asias largest Arch Dam is located at Idukki Township of Idukki Taluk. The point where the Periyar flows through the gorge formed between two massive rocks known as Kuravan and Kurathi is the site of the Idukki arch dam. The Idukki Hydroelectic project caters for more than 60% of the requirements of the state of Kerala. According to the 2011 census Idukki district has a population of 1,107,453 and this ranks it as 416th among the 640 districts of India. The district has a density of 254 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was −1. 93%, Idukki has a sex ratio of 1006 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 92.2 per cent. According to the 2011 census, Hindus make up 48, 86% of the population, Christians 43. 42%, Muslims 7. 41%. Idukki district is the first district in India to get connected with super-fast broad band system as a part of Digital India Munnar was the resort of the British Government in the south
2.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
3.
Government of Kerala
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The Government of Kerala headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram is a democratically elected body that governs the State of Kerala, India. The state government is headed by the Governor of Kerala as the head of state. The state government maintains its capital at Thiruvananthapuram and is seated at the Kerala Government Secretariat or the Hajur Kutcheri. The Government of Kerala was formed on November 1,1956 after merging of State of Travancore-Cochin with the Malabar district of the Madras state as part of States Reorganisation Act,1956, the Governor is appointed by the President for a term of five years. The executive and legislative powers lie with the Chief Minister and his council of ministers, the Governors of the states and territories of India have similar powers and functions at the state level as that of the President of India at Union level. Only Indian citizens above 35 years of age are eligible for appointment, P Sathasivam is the present governor. The Governor enjoys many different types of powers, Executive powers related to administration, appointments, Legislative powers related to lawmaking and the state legislature. Discretionary powers to be carried out according to the discretion of the Governor, the legislature comprises the governor and the legislative assembly, which is the highest political organ in state. The governor has the power to summon the assembly or to close the same, all members of the legislative assembly are directly elected, normally once in every five years by the eligible voters who are above 18 years of age. The current assembly consists of 140 elected members and one nominated by the governor from the Anglo-Indian Community. The elected members one of its own members as its chairman who is called the speaker. The speaker is assisted by the deputy speaker who is elected by the members. The conduct of meeting in the house is the responsibility of the Speaker, the main function of the assembly is to pass laws and rules. Every bill passed by the house has to be approved by the governor before it becomes applicable. The normal term of the assembly is five years from the date appointed for its first meeting. But while a proclamation of state of emergency is in operation, the High Court of Kerala is the apex court for the state, it also hears cases from the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. It is a court of record and has all the powers of such a court including the authority to punish an individual for contempt of court. Like all other High Courts of India, this court also consists of a Chief Justice, at present, the sanctioned Judge strength of the High Court of Kerala is 27 Permanent Judges including the Chief Justice H. L. Dattu and two additional judges
4.
Periyar (river)
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Periyar is the longest river and the river with the largest discharge potential in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the few rivers in the region. The Periyar is of utmost significance to the economy of Kerala and it generates a significant proportion of Keralas electrical power via the Idukki Dam and flows along a region of industrial and commercial activity. The river also provides water for irrigation and domestic use throughout its course besides supporting a rich fishery, due to these reasons, the river has been named the Lifeline of Kerala. Kochi city, in the vicinity of the river draws its water supply from Aluva. Twenty five percent of Keralas industries are along the banks of river Periyar and these are mostly crowded within a stretch of 5 kilometres in the Eloor-Edayar region, about 10 kilometres north of Kochi harbor. The Periyar has a length of approximately 244 kilometres and a catchment area of 5,398 square kilometres. The source of the Periyar lies high in the Western Ghats and it is variously claimed to be located in Kerala and in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. This has also admitted by the state of Tamil Nadu in the court. The source of the lies in the remote forests of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Various sources indicate the origin of the river to be Chokkampatti Mala, there are alternate claims for a Tamil Nadu origin, indicating that the Periyar originates in the Sivagiri peaks of Sundaramala, Tamil Nadu. However, the Supreme Court of India in its judgement on the Mullaperiyar issue in 2014, after flowing 48 kilometres from its origin and on reaching Mount Plateau at its eastern end, it is joined by the west-flowing Mullayar—an important tributary—at Mullakudy. During this journey the Periyar traverses through the Periyar Tiger Reserve, the Mullaperiyar dam is constructed at the confluence of the Periyar and Mullayar to create the Periyar Thekkady lake and reservoir, as well as the Periyar National Park. The area belonging to Tamil Nadu in the Periyar basin is located far down the river from the Mullaperiyar Dam site and this area is drained by the tributary Nirar, which is diverted to Tamil Nadu as a part of inter-state Parambikulam-Aliyar Project agreement. From Periyar Thekkady lake and reservoir, some water is diverted eastwards to Tamil Nadu via a tunnel, the diverted water, after power generation, is let into the Suruliar river thereby resulting in an inter-basin transfer of water. The Idukki dam is constructed across the Periyar river on the famous Idukki gorge formed by the Kuravan and Kurathi hills. The main Periyar below the Idukki reservoir flows due north parallel to the edge of the Idukki plateau and is joined by the Perinjakutty from the east. After the confluence with Muthirapuzha, the river flows northwestwards and enters Ernakulam district at Neriamangalam and it is joined by its major tributary, the Idamalayar,1.5 kilometres upstream of the Bhoothathankettu barrage
5.
Munnar
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Munnar is a town and hill station located in the Idukki district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around 1,600 metres above sea level. The name Munnar is believed to mean three rivers, referring to its location at the confluence of the Mudhirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundaly rivers, geographic coordinates of Munnar is 10°05′21″N 77°03′35″E. Munnar town is situated on the Kannan Devan Hills village in Devikulam taluk and is the largest panchayat in the Idukki district covering an area of nearly 557 square kilometres, Munnar is well connected by both National highways, state highways and rural roads. The town lies in the Kochi - Dhanushkodi National highway, about 130 km from Cochin,31 km from Adimali,85 km from Udumalpettu in Tamil Nadu and 60 km from Neriyamangalam. Distance from major cities from Kochi - Ernakulam -150 km The nearest major stations are at Ernakulam. The Nearest Functioning Railway station is at Udumalaipettai, the nearest airport is Cochin International Airport, which is 110 kilometres away. The Coimbatore and Madurai airports is 165 km from Munnar, the panchayath of Munnar formed in 1961 January 24 is divided into 21 wards for administrative convenience. Coimbatore district lies in the north, Pallivasal in south, Devikulam and Marayoor in east and Mankulam, most of the native flora and fauna of Munnar have disappeared due to severe habitat fragmentation resultant from the creation of the plantations. There has been action to address the problems of property takeovers by the mafia that have, according to successive governments. In 2011, the government estimated that 20,000 hectares of land had been illegally appropriated, the temperature ranges between 5 °C and 25 °C in winter and 15 °C and 25 °C in summer. Temperatures as low as −4 °C have been recorded in the Sevenmallay region of Munnar, köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies it as subtropical highland. Bisonvalley Kolukkumalai Kunchithanny Marayur Mattupetty Dam Munnar Tea Museum Pallivasal Rajakkad Munnar travel guide from Wikivoyage Kerala Tourism
6.
Penstock
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A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. It is a term that has inherited from the earlier technology of mill ponds. Penstocks for hydroelectric installations are normally equipped with a gate system, flow is regulated by turbine operation and is nil when turbines are not in service. Penstocks, particularly used in polluted water systems, need to be maintained by hot water washing, manual cleaning, antifouling coatings. The term is used in irrigation dams to refer to the channels leading to. Penstocks are also used in mine tailings dam construction, the penstock is usually situated fairly close to the center of the tailings dam and built up using penstock rings. These control the level, letting the slimes settle out of the water. This water is piped under the tailings dam back to the plant via a penstock pipeline. Similar structures which are not enclosed are head races or leats, penstocks are commonly used in water management systems such as surface water drainage and foul water sewers. Penstocks provide a means of isolation of flows, penstocks are incorporated into the surface water management systems of many landfill sites. Attenuation lagoons are constructed in order to store water, limiting the discharge from the site to pre-development rate. Penstocks are installed at the outfall from the lagoon so that in the event that the surface water becomes contaminated the penstock may be closed. This will have the effect of isolating the site from the watercourse, penstock cross-sections for the Grand Coulee Dam U. S. Department of Energy Hydropower Basics
7.
Tourism in Kerala
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Kerala, a state situated on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler, Kerala is famous especially for its ecotourism initiatives and its unique culture and traditions, coupled with its varied demography, have made Kerala one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Growing at a rate of 13. 31%, the industry is a major contributor to the states economy. Until the early 1980s, Kerala was an unknown destination. In the decades that followed, Kerala Tourism was able to transform itself into one of the holiday destinations in India. The tag line Kerala – Gods Own Country was adopted in its tourism promotions, Kerala is regarded as one of the destinations with the highest brand recall. In 2010, Kerala attracted 660,000 foreign tourist arrivals, Kerala is an established destination for both domestic as well as foreign tourists. Kerala is well known for its beaches, backwaters in Alappuzha and Kollam, mountain ranges, the backwaters region—an extensive network of interlocking rivers, lakes, and canals that centre on Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam, also see heavy tourist traffic. Heritage sites, such as the Padmanabhapuram Palace, Hill Palace, the city of Trivandrum ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourists in Kerala. To further promote tourism in Kerala, the Grand Kerala Shopping Festival was started by the Government of Kerala in 2007, since then it has been held every year during the December–January period. The states tourism agenda promotes ecologically sustained tourism, which focuses on the culture, wilderness adventures, volunteering. Efforts are taken to minimise the effects of traditional tourism on the natural environment. Since its incorporation as a state, Keralas economy largely operated under welfare-based democratic socialist principles. This mode of development, though it resulted in a high Human Development Index and standard of living among the people, led to a stagnation in the 1980s. )This apparent paradox—high human development and low economic development—led to a large number of educated unemployed seeking jobs overseas. Due to the number of expatriates, many travel operators. However, the trends soon reciprocated, with the travel agencies noticing the potential of the state as a tourist destination. The first travel agency in Kerala, Kerala Travels, was founded by Col G. V, raja of the Travancore royal family along with P. G. C. By 1986, tourism had gained an industry status, Kerala Tourism subsequently adopted the tagline Gods Own Country in its advertisement campaigns
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Kerala Tourism Development Corporation
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The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation is a public sector undertaking that conducts and regulates the tourism activities in the Indian state of Kerala. The KTDC is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram and has offices all the districts of Kerala. The agency also operates hotels, resorts, and tourist rest houses in key locations in the state and its official slogan is Official host to Gods own country. It is one of the most profitable ventures of the Kerala government, Kerala was a relatively unknown state among tourist circles until the early 1960s. When Travancore merged with India, Kerala Tours Limited became an entity under the Travancore royal family. For more than 20 years since Independence, Kerala trend to ignore tourism as a key industry, leaving KTL, in the 1960s, KTL struck gold, by collaborating with Thomas Cook and started popularizing Kovalam in western countries which started the advent of hippie culture in Kovalam Beach. The strong inflow of tourists into Kovalam, started Kerala government to consider tourism as a key industry, though it tried to nationalize Kerala Tours Limited, it soon fell into legal issues. This resulted in the government to think starting a new entity known as Kerala Tourism Development Corporation IN1966, started as a government department, KTDC became a separate commercial entity by the 1970s. Several premium guest houses of Kerala Government were identified and converted into hotel brands, lt. Col. G. V. Raja was also the President of Tourism Promotion Council of Kerala. He was the architect in developing Kovalam as an international tourist spot. Bolgatty Island Resort, which houses the Bolgatty Palace, a property which is the largest Dutch palace outside the Netherlands. Built in 1635 as Palace of Dutch Governor of India, this soon became British Residency for Travancore-Cochin Kingdoms, the palace is part of Bolgatty resort which has another property, branded as Island Resort, which has a nine-course golf club, horsing tracks and other facilities. Mascot Hotel Trivandrum, located in state capital Thiruvananthapuram is a property built in 1902 which used to accommodate Travancore Army officials. Lake Palace, a summer palace of the King of Travancore, is on an island in the middle of the Periyar Lake —20 minutes by boat from the mainland. KTDC has 7 resort styled hotel properties aiming for leisure travellers, all properties in the premium range are individually branded. Marina House, KTDC manages Indias first marina which includes a 24-room hotel, Marina House, located in Bolgatty Island, the facility features 34 berthing spaces of yachts and Marina Club House for travellers to unwind their journeys with facilities for embarkation and disembarkation process. Bolgatty Island Resort- Part of Bolgatty Island, the features a world class urban resort with a nine course golf course. Aranya Nivas Thekkady built within Periyar National Park is a jungle lodge
