Champavathi River

Champavathi is a very small river that rises in the Eastern Ghats at a height of 1200 m above the sea level in Andhra village. It flows in the eastern direction and reaches the Bay of Bengal near Konada village after passing through Nellimaria, Saripalli, Gajapathinagaram, Natasalasa and Denkada of Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. The drainage area of the Champavathi river basin is around 1410 square kilometers. This huge area is divided into Madugula hills, Coastal plains and Vizianagaram plains, which are in the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt (EGMB). The river basin is filled with earliest geologic period formations of excellent quality metamorphic rocks, Charnockites, constituting Khondalites Migmatites, Calc-granulites and Quartzites.

Champavathi River is a water body that is running towards a lower level through a channel on land in Andhra Pradesh. The centre of the river lies in a longitude of 83.46667 and its latitude is at 18.2. It possesses an elevation of 25m above the sea level. Several investigations are done for the exploration of underground water and simulated recharge for improving the level of groundwater in the Champavathi River Basin (CRB).The probable zones of groundwater and pockets for recharge are recognized based on the hydro-geological information and geo-electrical information. The potential of the ground water is classified as poor, medium and good based on this analysis.

Ground water scarcity is one of the major problems in the rigid rocky land of Eastern Ghats, of which Champavathi river basin forms a major part. An ideal exploration method and excellent geological skill are required for delineating the aquifers for ground water. This basin is located in Andhra Pradesh in the Vizianagaram district. This river falls under the medium and non-perennial category of watersheds, which flows via rain fed areas of cultivation.

Course

This is the smallest river when compared to other rivers that are flowing in Andhra Pradesh. It starts from the Easter Ghats and flows through Palem, Gajapathinagaram, Saripalli, Denkada, Natavalasa and other villages of Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. The standard time zone for the Champavathi River is UTC/GMT +5.5 hrs. The nearby cities of this river are Vizianagaram, Ponduru and Nellimarla.

The river is a stream of class H, which means hydrographic, whose coordinates are 18°12’0” N and 83°28’0” E in Degrees Minutes and Seconds or 83.4667 and 18.2 in decimal degrees. The UTIM position of this river is QF61 and the reference of its Joint Operation Graphics is NE44-08. The Denkada is a village located on the banks of the river Champavathi and the Denkada Anicut was built between 1965 and 1968, which is situated near the Saripalli village in Nellimarla Mandal of Vizianagaram District. The main purpose of this project is to provide irrigational facilities for approximately 5153 acres of land, which works out to approximately 20.85 square kilometers.

Tributaries

Bhogapuram, situated in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh is very fertile with ample agricultural resources. This place is located on the banks of the river Champavathi, which has four chief tributaries, the Eduvampula Gedda, Chitta Gedda, Gadi Gedda and Pothula Gedda.

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