The Kuttanad region is broadly classified into three divisions:

• Lower Kuttanad
• Upper Kuttanad
• North Kuttanad

Lower Kuttanad comprises taluks of Ambalapuzha, Kuttanad (excluding Edathua, Thalavady and Muttar), and the northern half of Karthikapally taluk in Alappuzha district.

Upper Kuttanad comprises Veeyapuram village in Karthikapally taluk, Edathua, Thalavady, Kidangara and Muttar in Kuttanad taluk; Mannar, Kuruttissery, Budhanur, Ennakkad villages in Chengannur taluk of Alappuzha district; and Parumala, Kadapra, Niranam, Pulikeezhu, Peringara, Chathenkeri, Nedumpuram, villages of Tiruvallataluk in Pathanamthitta district.

A few of the major villages which form Kuttanadu are: Ramankary, Kaipuzha, Kumarakom, Edathua, Mampuzhakkary, Neelamperoor, Kainadi, Kavalam, Pulincunnoo,Kannady, Veliyanadu, Veeyapuram, Vezhapra, Kunnamkary,Kumaramkary,Valady, Kidangara, Mithrakary, [Muttar], Neerattupuram, Thalavadi, Changankary,Champakulam, Nedumudi, Moonnatummukham, Melpadom, Payippad, Karichal, Ayaparambu, Narakathara, Venattukad, Kayalppuram, Mankompu, Chathurthiakary, Manalady, Koduppunna, Thayankarry and Pullangadi among others.

During 1968, government of India proposed a project, in which a bund (Dam) will be made across the river so that seawater will not be allowed to come inside Kuttanad during summer, allowing farmers to cultivate an extra cycle per year. The project was planned in three phases, the south side, the north side and another phase to join the two sections. The project was delayed and by the time the first two phases were complete the entire money allotted for the project ran out and left the final phase in limbo. The farmers who were expecting lots of financial benefits after the completion of the project decided to take matters into their own hands and one night in 1972, a large group of farmers filled the gap between the north and the south side with earth. To this day, the earth embankment between the two sections of the bundh remains.

Even though the bund has improved the quality of life of the farmers, the bund is alleged to have caused severe environmental problems. The backwaters which were abundant with fish and part of the staple food of the people of the region require a small amount of salt water for their breeding. The bund has caused deterioration of the catch of fish in the region and the fishermen are opposed to the bund as of 2005. The bund has also disrupted the harmony of the sea with the backwaters and has caused problems not foreseen before the bundh like the omniprescence of the water weeds. Earlier the salt water tends to cleanse the backwaters but this does not happen any more leading to the pollution of the backwaters and the entire land nearby.