Muthupet

Muthupet is a panchayat town and taluk in the Thiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The town lies adjacent to the Bay of Bengal and is in the southernmost part of the Kaveri Delta.

The rivers Koriayar and Pamaniyar join near Muthupet, where a lagoon lies that is rich in fish.

Wind speed reached up to 140-160 kmph in Muthupet, devastating hundreds of huts and thousands of trees.

As a result of over 500 electric poles and over 20 transformers falling down, Muthupet did not regain its power supply until 20 days after Cyclone Gaja struck.

The northern and western borders of the lagoon are occupied by muddy silt ground which is devoid of mangroves.

The tidal fluctuations can be observed by the exposure of oyster beds and roots during low tide.

The salinity is a major environmental factor that controls zonation of Muthupet mangrove forest.

The distance of the mangroves from the fluctuating water level differs between the lagoon shore and seashore of the same mudflat.

The reason may be the difference in the nature of fine clayey silt deposition that is carried by the rivers.

In the degraded central part of the mudflat, the soft fine silt is found only around the salt marshes.

The remaining barren ground is hard clay, which may be due to the erosion of the surface silt by wind or floodwater.

Thousands of partially decomposed rooted trunks found on the southeastern side of Muthupet lagoon are indications of past, indiscriminate exploitation.

At 100–150 m in width and 5–6 km in length, the density of mangroves in the eastern side of Muthupet lagoon is comparatively lower than other areas.

Mobile network operators such as BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone,Jio and Reliance provide their services.

The 700-year-old Islamic shrine Muthupet Dargah of Andavar Sheikh Dawood Khamil Oliyullh was built using traditional architecture.

Frequent bus services are available to the nearby town, Pattukkottai, Adirampattinam, Thiruthuraipoondi, Nagapattinam, Mannargudi and Vedaranyam.

Auto rickshaws act as a major mode of private transportation for short-distance travels.