Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Reclamation of wetlands sees a spurt

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Reclamation of wetlands continues in several parts of the district, defying government orders and ignoring protests by local people. The failure of the district administration to crack down on diversion of paddy fields has made a mockery of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan’s assurance that the remaining wetlands in the State would be protected.

The fallow fields at Chittattumukku near Kazhakuttam were the latest to fall to the real estate industry that is gobbling up land in the Kazhakuttam-Kadhinamkulam areas for the construction of apartment complexes and residential townships.

Over the last weekend, two big chunks of wetland between the Perumathura-Kadhinamkulam stretch of the coastal road and the Parvathy Puthanar canal were reclaimed.

District Collector N. Ayyappan said he had not received a report on the issue. “The Village Officer concerned is supposed to issue a stop notice and inform the administration,” he said. Local people accuse the police and revenue authorities of abetting the reclamation.

Real estate developers are acquiring large tracts of farmland anticipating the spurt in demand for housing once the Technocity project near Andoorkonam takes off. There has been a steady fall in the area under cultivation as commercial and industrial projects claim large chunks of the once-fertile paddy belt.

While one section of the local residents has fallen for the lure of big money offered by land sharks, another group fears that conversion of wetlands will cause irreparable damage to the environment, impacting on their livelihood.

The conversion of wetlands has affected water retention, leading to acute drinking water scarcity during the summer months and flooding of low-lying areas in the rainy season. Groundwater depletion has been reported from almost every locality in the region. Scientists warn that this, in turn, would lead to salinity intrusion in the areas near the coastline.

The Thettiyar canal, which was the main source of water in the Kazhakuttam area, has all but dried up in the downstream areas. Most of the farmers have abandoned cultivation. The people are also concerned about the possible contamination of groundwater by sewage and wastewater from townships and apartment complexes.

The laterite hills on the eastern side of the National Highway bypass are being plundered for soil to reclaim the wetlands. Over the past three years, large chunks of the hills in the Kuzhivila, Pullukad, Kattela and Manvila areas have been razed. The removal of the topsoil also threatens to trigger soil erosion and landslips. “The Corporation has to deploy tanker lorries even during the rainy season,” says Attipra ward councillor S. Sivadath.

Scientists warn that the plunder of the hills and the filling up of low-lying areas can lead to irreversible ecological damage. The reclamation of wetlands blocks the capillary action of soil, affecting its capacity to moderate floods. It also messes up the natural drainage system. Last week, the Corporation Council had expressed concern over the reclamation of 62 acre of wetlands at Muttathara.

Meanwhile, a law to protect the paddy fields and wetlands in the State is awaiting clearance from the Assembly select committee. The ‘Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Bill, 2007,’ seeks to regulate illegal and vast reclamation of paddy fields and other wetlands, indiscriminate mining from the paddy fields and to improve the overall ecological condition of the State. The Bill says that the area under paddy cultivation in Kerala has undergone a drastic decline from over eight lakh hectares in early 1970s to nearly two lakh hectares in 2000. Mr. Ayyappan said the provisions of the Act would make it an effective deterrent against reclamation.

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