Tamil Nadu - Nagercoil   

Warm reception to students' project on wetlands

P. S. Suresh Kumar

Their study suggesting water conservation through natural farming was acclaimed as the outstanding scientific work at the 13th National Children's Science Conference-2005 held in Bhubaneswar recently.

Nagercoil : The project on `Assessment and improvement of wetlands in Kanyakumari district' presented by students of Carmel Higher Secondary School in Nagercoil was acclaimed as the outstanding scientific work from the State, at the 13th National Children's Science Conference-2005 held in Bhubaneswar recently.

Wetlands are open habitats on the land, which are water-logged seasonally or throughout the year. They include lakes, rivers, estuaries and marshes.

Kanyakumari district has a natural heritage of wetlands and eutrophication is the major problem for survival of these wetlands. Water conservation through natural farming would preserve the wetlands in the long term.

Speaking to The Hindu , the team leader Prinu Dickson said that the destruction of wetlands would adversely affect the natural water resources of the district. Wetlands were the primary ecological system for cultivation of rice, which was the main source of income for the rural population. It was alarming to understand that the area under paddy had fallen from 53,034 hectares in 1975 to 30,661 hectares in 1998. However, the population of the district has increased from 8 lakh to 15 lakh in the same period. Moreover the ponds have also reduced from 3,500 in 1962 to 2400 in 1988. The reduction in the number of ponds and irrigated areas caused serious concern.

Wetlands were considered the large storage vessels during heavy rainfall and these basins were rich in minerals, fertile soil and biological activities of flora and fauna. The flora was more unique and diverse and was the energy-fixing base for complex food chain.

To highlight the importance of azolla as bio-fertilizer, the physico-chemical analysis of water was done before and after azolla growth in the collected samples of water from the selected ponds. It was also observed that azolla served as a potent biological water purifier.

The students also tried to draw attention to the danger facing the wetland ecosystem — `eutrophication of wetlands'. The run of water from paddy fields containing the fertilizers used by the farmers is the major reason for the eutrophication.

These chemical fertilizers are rich in soluble nitrates, phosphates and potassium. Nutrient-rich water will promote `algal bloom' and take away aquatic plants and animals from oxygen.

It can be prevented only by the implementation of integrated community action plan. Though the villagers have been informed by non-governmental organisations through awareness programmes about the future impact of eutrophication, they had not been provided with an alternative safe form of farming methods.

On the other hand they are driven by the short-term economical gain of intensive farming and fail to comprehend the long-term impact on the water resources of the district.

Hence the members of the team J. S. M. Jazim, S. Jehu Villvarayar, J. Ajay Johns and S. P. Mohammed Hisam suggested natural farming or organic farming.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Warm reception to students' project on wetlands

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu