The Silent Valley National Park, situated in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve of Kerala, gained national prominence during the late 1970s and 1980s due to an intense environmental movement against a proposed hydroelectric project. Across which river was this contentious dam proposed to be built?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Silent Valley agitation was spearheaded by conservationists, scientists, and local citizens to protect the pristine tropical evergreen rainforests from being submerged by a hydroelectric dam proposed on the Kunthipuzha River. The movement ultimately led to the cancellation of the project and the declaration of the area as a national park by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. The valley is notable for its undisturbed ecological integrity and endemic species like the lion-tailed macaque. Chaliyar and Kallada rivers flow through different catchment basins in Kerala.