Shutters of the Thanneermukkam barrage will be opened on April 10. The shutters could be opened within a span of two days, according to irrigation mechanical division officials.
The issue pertaining to the closure and opening of the shutters had led to differences of opinion among farmers and fishermen. The shutters had been closed to prevent intrusion of salt water into the Kuttanad paddy fields. Fishermen, on the other hand, had been demanding flow of water into Vembanad lake in order to ensure a natural environment for breeding of various kinds of fish and clams.
Environmentalists had pointed out that the closure of the bund would prevent the tides which wash away the dirt accumulated in the lake. Plastics and other refuse being thrown into the lake by scores of houseboats have posed a pollution threat to the lake, a Ramsar site.
The pesticide and fertilizers used in paddy fields in Kuttanad also get drained into the lake.
The padasekharams, group of paddy farms, spread over the districts of Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta, are often unable to stick to the schedule of farming operations set by the Agriculture Department owing to various reasons. As a result, authorities were forced to keep the shutters closed for longer periods.
Principal Agricultural Officer A.G. Abdul Kareem said that harvesting operations had been completed in 20,000 hectares out of the 26,500 hectares under cultivation during the current crop in Kuttanad. The plants in the non-harvested areas were more than 100 days old and hence any intrusion of salt water into the field was not expected to affect the crop.
There had been allegations of unauthorised opening of the bund partially by means of keeping boulders underneath the shutters. District Collector Veena N. Madhavan had directed the officials to ensure complete closure of the bund then.