River

Company engineers begin remodelling the Grand Anicut

Captain Caldwell was appointed in 1804 to study the Kaveri and raised the ancient Grand Anicut to send more water to the delta.

First segment of the Buckingham Canal opens

In 1806 a saltwater canal linking Madras with Ennore was finished; it would later form part of the Buckingham Canal.

Arthur Cotton builds the Upper Anaicut at Mukkombu

Arthur Cotton built the Upper Anaicut regulator where the Kollidam branches from the Kaveri, between 1836 and 1838.

Napier Bridge built over the Cooum

Planned by Governor Lord Napier, a cast iron lattice bridge went up over the Cooum's mouth, joining Fort St. George to the Marina side.

Buckingham Canal extended as famine relief

A section of the coastal canal linking the Adyar and Cooum rivers was dug as famine relief work, and the canal was renamed the Buckingham Canal.

Madras and Mysore sign the 1892 Cauvery agreement

After an 1890 conference, the Madras Presidency and Mysore signed an agreement on the use of the Cauvery's waters.

Pykara hydroelectric power station commissioned

The Pykara hydroelectric scheme in the Nilgiris began generating power, the first major hydroelectric project in the Madras Presidency.

Mettur Dam completed

The Mettur Dam across the Cauvery was completed, creating the Stanley Reservoir and expanding irrigation in the delta.

1943 Madras floods

Six days of continuous northeast monsoon rain caused the Cooum and Adyar rivers to overflow, flooding slums across Madras.

Lower Bhavani (Bhavanisagar) Dam completed

Work was completed on the Bhavanisagar Dam over the Bhavani river, the first major irrigation project of independent India.

Amaravathi Dam built

The Amaravathi Dam was built across the Amaravathi river near Udumalpet for irrigation and flood control.

Krishnagiri Reservoir Project dam opened

Chief Minister K. Kamaraj inaugurated the Krishnagiri dam across the Thenpennai river.

Sathanur Dam completed

The Sathanur Dam across the Thenpennai river near Tiruvannamalai became operational under the Second Five Year Plan.

Manimuthar Dam built in Tirunelveli

The Manimuthar Dam was built near Kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli district to store monsoon water for irrigation.

Vaigai Dam inaugurated

Chief Minister K. Kamaraj inaugurated the Vaigai Dam, which supplies irrigation and drinking water to Madurai and the southern districts.

Aliyar Dam of the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project inaugurated

Prime Minister Nehru inaugurated the Aliyar Dam, part of the inter-state Parambikulam-Aliyar irrigation project.

Expiry of the 1924 Kaveri agreement

The 50-year Madras-Mysore agreement of 1924 on Kaveri waters expired, opening a long inter-state dispute with Karnataka.

Krishna water supply (Telugu Ganga) project agreed for Madras

Tamil Nadu and the Krishna basin states agreed on a scheme to carry Krishna river water to Madras city, later built as the Telugu Ganga project.

Cauvery River Authority set up

The Union government set up the Cauvery River Authority, chaired by the Prime Minister with the chief ministers of the basin states, to implement the interim award.

Manjolai labourers massacre on the Tamirabarani

Seventeen people, mostly Dalit tea estate workers, died in the Tamirabarani river at Tirunelveli while fleeing a police lathi-charge.

Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal final award

The Cauvery tribunal issued its final award allocating river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

Tholkappia Poonga eco-park opens on the Adyar estuary

A park restoring the ecology of the Adyar creek in Chennai opened and was named in honour of the Tamil grammarian Tholkappiar.

Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve created

The Srivilliputhur and Megamalai forests were notified as India's 51st tiger reserve and Tamil Nadu's fifth.

Floods in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli

Record rainfall flooded Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts as the Thamirabarani river overflowed.