| Physical |
| Cauvery basin spans an area around 81155 km2 and runs from a northwest to south eastern direction along a general south easterly slope. Catchment area of this basin can be divided into three sections; upper catchment areas with steep slopes; middle catchment area mostly in Tamil Nadu and lower catchment area which is confined to the plains in Tamil Nadu. |
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| Elevation : |
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| Source : CPCB, 1995: Comprehensive river basin report |
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| Cauvery originates in the Brahmagiri hills at a place called Talakaveri which is at an elevation of 1340 m above sea level. At a height of 1500 m at Mudigere, in Western Ghats one of the main tributaries of the river Hemavathi originates. The regional slope runs in the eastward direction. |
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| The upper reach of the basin is covered with hill ranges of the Western Ghats and the sub basins area is broad and open with gently undulating country. In the north-west and south, there are a number of hill ranges which have steep slopes. |
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| Some parts of the upper catchment area in the district of Hassan and Coorg are at an elevation of 1000 to 2000 m above mean sea level(msl), whereas going eastwards the average elevation of the rest of the Mysore Plateau is around 600 m to 1200 m above msl. The slope is towards east and the delta regions in the east in Tamil Nadu have an elevation of 300 to 600 m above msl. Further eastwards, land slopes very gently into the sea with average elevation < 300m above msl. |
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