The Hindu : Steps sought to protect Karamana river

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 24, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Steps sought to protect Karamana river

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM April 23. The need for protecting the Karamana river from further exploitation has been stressed in a study carried out by the Group Endeavour for Environment and Nature Sustenance (Greens), the nature lovers' group in the Government Secretariat.

In the study report released here today in connection with the World Earth Day celebrations, the Greens study team urged the Government to protect the 10-metre stretch on either side of the river by declaring it as "puramboke land'' and carry out afforestation along a minimum stretch of five metres for preventing soil erosion.

As many as 600 people were engaged in sand-mining on the banks of the Karamana river leading to the change of the river's course, caving in of the banks, salinity intrusion as well as floods. It is up to the Government to check sand-mining in the river, the report points out.

The Karamana river, which originates from the Chemmunchimotta in the north-west portion of the Agasthyarkoodam and flowing 68 km till it joins the Arabian Sea at Idayarpozhi near Poonthura, was found to have faecal coliform bacteria in large numbers at the area from Kundamonkadavu to Panathura due to the flow of waste water and also due to the overflow from septic tanks, according to the study. At the same time, studies on the water samples collected from Chemmunchimotta shows that the water is pure.

The study has also pointed out that the river is polluted more in the area from Kundamankadavu to Trikkannapuram and Karamana as well as at Idayarpozhi near Poonthura. Similarly, dumping of waste was found more as the river flows from Pappanamcode to Pallathukadavu near Thiruvallam. The joining of Parvathiputhanar with the Karamana river at Moonnattumukku near Thiruvallam makes matters worse as a large amount of waste flows into the river from the Parvathiputhanar.

While the Karamana river gets polluted mainly at certain areas only, the Killiyar which flows into the Karamana river at Pallathukadavu has turned out as a carrier of waste due to the inflow of chemical waste from some factories as well as the dumping of waste from hostels, hotels, hospitals and various residential colonies. Similarly, the flow of a large number of weeds such as water hyacinth from the Parvathiputhanar could be seen in the Karamana river at Valiyasalai and Killippalam areas preventing even the free movement of country boats.

The Greens' study team recommended that the Government form Janakeeya Karmasamithis under the control of local bodies to check sand-mining and planting trees on the river banks. The team stressed the need for carrying out a scientific study on salinity intrusion into the river during summer season.

Similarly, the need for the formation of local committees with the help of corporation councillors, residents associations and other likeminded voluntary organisations for the protection of rivers has been emphasised in the report.

The possibilities of increasing the storage capacity in the Aruvikkara and Peppara reservoirs after removing the mud as well possibilities of constructing check dams should also be looked into, the report adds.

The team has also urged the Government to take steps for bringing out a revised edition of the book, `Water resources of Kerala', brought out by the Irrigation Department in 1974.

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Steps sought to protect Karamana river