The Hindu : Kerala News : Islets along Valapattanam river beckon nature lovers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

Islets along Valapattanam river beckon nature lovers

Over a dozen small and big islets found along the stretch of the Valapattanam River in Kannur give an enchanting experience to nature lovers who cruise along the river in houseboats. These islets complement the beauty of the river basin.

After the confluence the Irikkur and Sreekantapuram Rivers, the flow of the Valapattanam River slows down and there are big deltas at this point.

These deltas are Therlayi, Korlayi, Kolthuruthi, Pamburuthi, Bhagat Singh Island, A.K.G Island and Puramad.

Therlayi is separated from the mainland when water from the Valakkai Thode (canal) splits into two. The other deltas are formed from silt deposits.

Therlayi, Korlayi, Kolthuruthi and Pamburuthi are inhabited islands and have become villages having schools, places of worship and other institutions.

A recently built bridge connects the island with the mainland. Pamburuthi, for its part, is connected with the mainland by a road. A.K.G Island, named after the late Communist leader, and Puramad Thuruth are under the Taliparamba municipality. The Bhagat Singh Island, which is controlled by the Pappinisseri grama panchayat, is a coconut grove.

There are also ecologically important small islets downstream having patches of mangroves which call for urgent conservation initiatives. In the upstream, there is a 14-acre islet facing the Kottiyur Temple. It is used as a resting place during the annual temple festival that attracts thousands of devotees from far and near.

T.P. Sreedharan, in his study on the status of the river with a special focus on its ecology and socio-cultural aspects, gives an inventory of these islands. There are four islets in Cheenkannipuzha, a major tributary to the Valapattanam River. A Paniya tribal colony at Pookkundu is on a six-acre islet.

Three islets of more than 500-metre-length are located both sides of the Palapuzha Bridge.

One of them, an eight-acre islet, is a cashew plantation owned by a private individual.

The two remaining islets are used by people in the nearby tribal colony for growing banana and vegetables. The park attached to the Pazhassi reservoir at Perumparamba has been developed on the 13.8-acre-wide islet. Two small islets of less than one acre are found at Malapattam and Eruvessi.

According to the District Tourism Promotion Council, the river basin has dozens of locations with tourism potential.

Palchuram, Meenmutty waterfalls, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanhirakkolli and Paithalmala are among the places already identified for developing eco-tourism.

The theme park planned at Parassinikkadavu also takes advantage of the terrain of the river basin.

A tourist resort has already come up at Kattampally that forms part of the river basin.

The inland water service, linking Parassinikkadavu, Valapattanam, Mattul, Thekkumbad, Pazhayangadi and Kottappuram, if developed further, will be an added attraction as it gives passengers and tourists to cruise the river downstream through the patches of mangroves and islets strewn along the river.

MOHAMED NAZEER

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