A record quantity of inflow of floodwater into the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) has brought major changes in the ecologically fragile mangrove system near the confluence point of river Krishna and the Bay of Bengal in the Krishna estuary. It has brought down the high salinity level which will speed up growth of the mangrove cover in coming months.
After a decade
A team of officials led by Anant Shankar, Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife-Eluru) on Wednesday inspected the KWS, observing the water level and how the sanctuary started receiving the huge quantity of floodwater, reportedly after a decade.
Satellite images (August 19) of the Global Forest Watch, an international organisation that monitors forests on a real-time basis, showed presence of floodwater in the KWS. That is between the major three backwater channels of Gullalamoda-Edurumondi, Eelachetladibba-Edurumondi and Eelachetladibba and Lankevennudibba.
“The huge inflow (not less than four lakh cusecs) has entered the KWS during the floods in mid-August, causing for a natural process of decrease in the salinity level and deposition of sediments from the river Krishna. In recent years, there was no good rainfall or inflow of river water into the KWS, leading to rising in the salinity in the water in the sanctuary,” pointed out Mr. Anant Shankar.
Diverse benefits
Wetland expert Allaparti Appa Rao has observed that the floodwater would have diverse benefits - speeding up the mangrove cover growth apart from maintaining an ecological balance to retain healthy soil fertility in the KWS.
“Absence of floodwater or river water in the sanctuary leads to rise in the salinity level due to the presence of seawater on a daily basis. It was 2009 when a huge quantity of floodwater entered the KWS and now this August,” said Mr. Apparao, engaged in the restoration of the mangrove cover in and outside the KWS. It is a fact that half the floodwater down the Prakasam Barrage has been released into the sea through one of the two major channels of the river Krishna at Puligadda aqueduct.
Brings nutrients
R. Ramasbramanian, M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation Principal Co-oridnator (Coastal Systems Research) observed: “Salinity of 35 PPT (Parts Per Thousand) in the Krishna Estuary is likely to come down to nearly 20 PPT and that level will continue for a few weeks, given that the flood water entered for some days. The flood brings nutrients required for the mangrove plants and also results in the formation of small landholdings with the deposition of the sediments in the estuary.”
