The Kundalika is a small
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
flowing from the hills of Sahyadri to the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
. This river originates at a small town called Bhira in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, 150 km south east of Bombay (
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
). The important towns located on the banks of Kundalika are Kolad, Korlai,
Chaul
Chaul is a historic town located in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Korlai Fort is located nearby.
History
The town was famous for cotton manufactured goods in the 15th and 16th century, According to Varthema, Chaul was prod ...
,
Roha
Roha () is a town and taluka in the Raigad district of the Maharashtra state of India. It is located 120 km southeast of Mumbai. It is the starting point of Konkan railways and end point of central railways (Mumbai). Many chemical indus ...
and Salav.
Details
River Kundalika is fed by the excess water from Tata Power's Mulshi Dam Project on to a series of hydroelectric projects and dams, including Ravalje followed by Bhira and then Dholvan, where the water is released in the morning typically at 6am. The gush of the water reaches Sutarwadi at 7:30am and water rises at Kolad at 10:00am.
A historical trade route called Savalya Ghat descends in Kundalika Valley from
Tamhini Ghat Road. Beautifully carved staircases exist at some places, and there are two small water cisterns. This river was a means of trade in ancient times. There are many forts on the hills along the river, including
Surgad,
Avchitgad
Avchitgad ( mr, अवचितगड ) is a fort located in the Sahyadri ranges of Maharashtra. The fort is situated near Roha in the Raigad district. At the base of this fort is a village called Medha and Padam - Kharapti.
History
This f ...
,
Birwadi fort
Birwadi fort ( Marathi: ) is hill fortress located in the village of Birwadi in Roha taluka, Raigad district, Maharashtra, India. Birwadi village is about 3 km away from Chanera village, which is on the Roha–Salav road. The fort looks like ...
,
Korlai fort
Korlai Fort is a colonial fort in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. Formerly a part of the Chaul in Portuguese India, the structure is a specimen of Portuguese colonial architecture. It was built as a companion to the fort at Chaul, at ...
and
Revdanda
Revdanda is a village near Alibaug, Raigad District, Maharashtra. It's the site of the medieval 'Chaul harbor'.
Directions
India. It is connected through a coastal highway (Sagari Mahamarg) away from Alibag, away from Mumbai, 37km away fro ...
.
On the bank of River Kundalika are many retreats and farm houses with mango and watermelon as the chief fruit product, and rice and ''nachni'' as the chief farm produce. The soil is very rich in minerals and water is ample via canals fed from River Kundalika's clean water.
Over 90% of Kundalika's water is consumed by industries, including RCF's THAL Project and many MIDC all across. This unfortunately has resulted in pollution, especially dues to Roha's chemical industries releasing a lot of effluents (chemical waste) in the river. On the cards are to use 9000 Quesecs of water by the upcoming Reliance and Essar's new projects in the Villa MIDC. This could kill the rafting besides considerably reducing the river's downstream water levels at Kolad. The river will die a little more and become more placid and shallower.
The Kundalika's water is beginning to get affected and "Save Kundalika Project" is being undertaken by "EcoMantra Nature Awareness and Travel", a local sustainable and community tourism organisation that runs a unique eco camp on its bank at Kolad.
Adventure lovers have found a unique way of enjoying the release of the dam water. Capitalising on the location near Mumbai, with its virtually unending source of adventure lovers, rafting is conducted on the river using the rapids generated by the rushing water released from the dam. Rafting of grade II and III can also be experienced over a 14 km circuit and can be enjoyed all day in the monsoon, or to coincide with the timing of the release of water from the dam during other times of the year. Rafting here is sometimes unavailable in the peak of summer, when the water becomes scarce.
Bhira Hydroelectric Project
The Planning Commission has given investment clearance for the scheme "Upper Kundlika Project (Revised Medium) in Maharashtra". The project is estimated to cost Rs 154.916 crore (2009-10 price level). The plant's maximum output capacity is nominally 300
MW, generated by six 25 MW
Pelton turbines and a 150 MW
pumped storage generator added in 1997. In 2014 two 10 kW microturbine units were added to generate further power from the
tailrace
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or bucket ...
after the main turbines.
Devkund Waterfall
Devkund Waterfall
Devkund Waterfall is a waterfall located near Bhira, in Raigad district, Maharastra, India. It is a 'plunge' waterfall pouring massive amounts of water on the rocky surface underneath. It is a popular spot for one day picnics.
Location
Devkun ...
is a
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
located near Bhira, in
Raigad district
Raigad district (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aːjɡəɖ, previously Colaba fort, Colaba district, is a district in the Konkan division of Maharashtra, India.
The district was renamed to Raigad fort, Raigad after the fort that ...
. The waterfall is a type of 'plunge' waterfall in nature pouring in massive amounts of water on the rocky surface underneath of Kundalika river. Devkund Waterfall is a popular spot for one day picnics.
The Secret Devkund Waterfalls On The Mumbai-Panvel-Goa Road Are Not So Secret Anymore
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References
External links
Rafting on Kundalika
from ecomantra.com
Overnight camping site near Kundalika river
Kundalika river rafting
from nsbrotherfarm.com
Pioneers of Kundalika Rafting
kundalikarafting.org
{{coord, 14.824097, 74.415894
Rivers of Maharashtra
Geography of Raigad district
Rivers of India