Elected representatives of Puthenvelikkara, Ezhikkara and Kumbalanghi panchayats that are facing the threat of high tide flooding induced by climate change have called for combining scientific and traditional strategies to tackle the growing challenge.
“A master plan focusing on scientific and traditional methods is required to save the panchayats from the continuing threat of high tide flooding,” said Ezhikkara panchayat president K.D. Vincent at a workshop on co-creating community resilience to high tide flooding held at North Paravur on Saturday.
“Of the 14 wards in Ezhikkara panchayat, 12 are prone to high tide flooding. The involvement of local communities, including Kudumbashree workers, in initiatives such as floodplain mapping have helped empower people in the face of climate change threat. However, we need to revisit the old method of planting mangroves as a buffer against flooding and high tide waves,” he said.
Puthevelikkara panchayat president Rosy Joshy said the devastating floods of 2018 helped bring to focus the long-standing plight of people affected by high tide flooding. “Salinity intrusion continues to be a problem in various wards. Frequent flooding in some areas has resulted in the migration of people to other places. But such relocation is not easy for the poor,” she said.
Manjula Bharathy, Dean of School of Habitat Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, said women had a crucial role in tidal flood prevention. The Kudumbashree members in the project areas were given training in ward-level flood mapping. They had also come up with brief videos on the issue, she added.
