The move to open the shutters of the Thanneermukkom barrage as per the Kuttanad farming calendar has come a cropper again.
As per the calendar, the shutters should have been opened by March 15. However, officials of the Irrigation department say no discussions have taken place yet. “It is up to the district administration to take a decision on the matter after consulting with the Agriculture department, farmers’ representatives and other stakeholders. We are not aware of any such meetings being planned for now,” says an official.
The Irrigation department usually closes the shutters by December 15 every year to prevent the intrusion of saline water into Kuttanad as an increase in salinity will be detrimental to paddy cultivation. It was supposed to reopen the gates on March 15 once the paddy harvest was completed. However, the opening of the shutters had been delayed in recent years due to late harvest. Last year, the shutters were opened in mid-May. This year, the harvest, which began in February, is expected to go on till May.
Last year, an advisory committee constituted by the Kerala government recommended the opening of the barrage shutters based on the Kuttanad crop calendar from 2023. Though it decided to direct padasekhara samitis to follow the crop calendar, things have not changed much.
Fisherfolk, meanwhile, are a concerned lot over the delay in opening the bund. “The southern side of the bund is filled with waste and water hyacinth. It has adversely affected the fish wealth in Vembanad Lake and the lives of people living in the area. Low salinity levels will be detrimental to the reproduction of black clams,” says K. Pavithran, a fisherman from Thanneermukkom.
Meanwhile, the proposal to keep the shutters open at least for one year for cleaning Kuttanad by letting in saltwater also remains unfulfilled. A recent report by the Centre for Aquatic Resource Management and Conservationunder the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos), Kochi, recommends keeping the barrage open round the year.
“The Thanneermukkom barrage appears to have considerably altered the environmental set-up and the optimum conditions needed for the growth of black clams in south Vembanad Lake, leading to the collapse of clam fishery and the fin-fish fishery. Revival of clam fishery and fin-fish fishery is possible only by keeping open the Thanneermukkom barrage round the year,” the report reads.
