(i) Thottappally Spillway. Due to the accumulation of floodwaters from the river systems in Kuttanad water level used to rise beyond manageable limits soon after the onset of the southwest monsoon. The entire low lying areas of the region used to remain flooded till the end of northeast monsoon making it impossible to raise a second crop during the autumn season. Detailed hydraulic surveys conducted from the early thirties had shown that this problem could be mitigated by diverting the floodwaters directly to the Arabian sea at the extreme south of the flood limit itself. 21 Kurup K KN