Cauvery

Cauvery, river, India: see Kaveri.

---

Cauvery 

a river in southern India. The Cauvery is approximately 800 km long, with a basin area of approximately 80, 000 sq km. It originates on the slopes of the Western Ghats, crossing the southern part of the Deccan plateau, where in places it flows in narrow rocky gorges with waterfalls up to 91 m high. At the point of its influx into the Bay of Bengal it forms a delta with an area of approximately 10, 000 sq km. The Cauvery is fed by rain. Monsoon conditions prevail, with two flood times—in summer, from the southwestern monsoon, and in winter (in the lower course), from the northeastern monsoon. The water discharge in an average flow at Mettur fluctuates between 300 and 12, 800 cubic meters per second. At the waterfalls there are a number of hydroelectric power stations with a total capacity of more than 800, 000 kilowatts. Two large reservoirs are located on the river, and more than 1 million hectares are irrigated with water from the Cauvery River. The river is navigable at the mouth and in small sections in an average current.