The important rivers of Kozhikode district

1. The Mahe river
The Mahe river, also called the Mayyazhippuzha, originates from the forests on the western slopes of the Wayanad hills which form part of the Western Ghats. This river flows through the villages of Narippetta, Vanimel, Iyyancode, Bhekiyad, Iringanoor, Tripangathur, Peringalam, Edachery, Kacheri, Eramala, Kariyyad, Olavilam; Kunnamakkara, Azhiyoor and Mahe, before emptying into the Arabian Sea at the former French Settlement of mahe, about 6 kms. South of Thalassery. The length of the river is about 54 kms. And it flows through an area of 394 sq.kms.

2. The Murad (Kuttiady) river
The Murad river, also known as the Kuttiady river, takes its origin from the Narikkotta ranges on the western slopes of the Wayanad hills, a part of Westerm Ghats. This river flows through Vadakara, Koyilandy and Kozhikode Taluks. It empties into the Arabian Sea at the historical Kottakkal fort, 7 kms. South of Vadakara. This river has a length of 74 kms. And along with its tributaries it lows through an area of 583 sq.kms.
The Onipuzha, the Thottilpalampuzha, the Kadiyangad puzha, the Vamathil puzha and the madappallippuzha are the major tribtaris of Murad river. It passes through oorakuzhi, Kuttiady, Tiruvallur, Muyipoth, Maniyur and Karuvancheri.

3. The Korapuzha
Formed by the confluence of two streams called Punnurpuzha and Agalapuzha, this river and it is main tributaries are tidal in their lower reaches. The Agalapuzha is more or less a backwater, while the Punnurpuzha originates from Arikkankunnu. The Agalapuzha forms a part of the important West Coast Inland Navigation System. There is heavy traffic through this river connecting all important industrial towns lying in the coastal areas such as Vadakara, Kozhikode, Kallai, beypore etc. The total length of the river is 40 kms. With a drainage area of 624 sq.kms.

4. The Kallai river
The river has its origin from Cherukulathur village and it is connected to the Chaliyar on the south by a man-made canal. The river passes through Cherukulathur, Kovur, Olavanna, Manava and Kallai before finally joining the Arabian Sea at Kozhikode. The length of the river is 22 kms. And it has a drainage area of 96 sq.kms.
Though small in size, the kallai is one of the most important rivers in the entire State from the commercial point of view, Kallai, a main centre of timber trade, is situated on its banks.

5. The Chaliyar river
Known in the lower reaches as the Beypore river, this is one of the major rivers of the State. The lower reaches form part of the West Coast Inland Navigation system.
It originates from the Illambalari hills in Gudalur taluk of Nilgiri district in Tamil Nadu. The Chalippuzha, the Punnapuzha, the Pandiyar, the Karimpuzha, the Vadapurampuzha, the Iringipuzha and the Iruthilpuzha are its important tributaries.
As an interstate river, this has a total drainage area of 2923 sq.kms, of which 2535 sq.kms. lie in Kerala and the rest, 388 sq.kms. in Tamil Nadu. With a length of 169 kms., the Chaliyar river flows through Nilambur, Mambad, Edavanna, Areecode and Vazhakkad in Malappuram district and Feroke in Kozhikode district before it joins the Arabian Sea near Beypore.


6. The Kadalundi river
This river is formed by the confluence of its two main tributes, the Olipuzha and the Veliyar. The Olipuzha takes its origin from the Cherakkombanmala and the Veliyar from the forests of Erattakombanmala. The total length of this river is 130 kms, with a drainage area of 1,099 sq.kms. The river flows towards the Chaliyar and joins the Arabian Sea at about 5 kms. south of the Chaliyar river mouth.
The Pooraparamba river, a small stream, is also included in this basin, as its length is only 8 kms. With a drainage area of 23 sq.kms. The total drainage area of the basis is thus 1122 sq.kms.
The Kadalundi river, also known by the names, Karimpuzha and Oravanpurampuzha, is important from the navigation point of view.