As part of its ongoing Noyyal-Bhavani basin conservation programme, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-India) has joined hands with local non-governmental organisations to monitor the health of wetlands that are associated with River Noyyal.
Apart from offering capacity building, experts of WWF-India extend training to NGOs and volunteers to periodically assess the health of wetlands for their holistic conservation.
As part of the initiative, WWF-India has given devices to assess pH (acidity), Electrical Conductivity (EC) and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of the water to two NGOs, namely Neer Nilangal Pathukappu Amaippu and Kovai Kulangal Pathukappu Amaippu.
“The aim is to assess the quality of water in the wetlands of the Noyyal system, identify factors for their degradation and come out with solutions for their holistic improvement. Many NGOs in Coimbatore are actively involved in the conservation of wetlands and we will collaborate with them for the long-term conservation goals,” said S. Arunvenkatesh, Water Stewardship Coordinator at the WWF-India.
In Coimbatore district, the pilot work was started in Sulur big tank and small tank in coordination with Neer Nilangal Pathukappu Amaippu last year.
On Wednesday, devices to check pH, EC and TDS were handed over to Kovai Kulangal Pathukappu Amaippu which is actively involved in the conservation of Vellalore tank and a few other wetlands.
R. Manikandan, coordinator of the Kovai Kulangal Pathukappu Amaippu, said that the initiative would help in periodical assessment of the water quality.
Y. Kamalakannan, a volunteer of the NGO, said that first samples of water from Vellalore tank showed TDS of 400 ppm, pH of 6.5 and EC 700 microsiemens/centimeter.
According to Mr. Arunvenkatesh, the Forest Department has extended support for the initiative. The department has already taken the initiative of forming ‘Wetland Mitras’, a collective of volunteers for the protection of wetlands and other waterbodies.
“WWF-India is doing a long-term conservation programme for the River Ganges. Many practices followed in the Ganges programme will be replicated for the Noyyal-Bhavani basin conservation programme. We are in the process of getting in touch with other NGOs and volunteers in Coimbatore to cover all wetlands of the Noyyal river system,” he said.
