Varaalchal, a vast wetland in the flood plain area of
the Pampa river at Koipram, near Aranmula, heavily weeded and silted,
could do with a few immediate steps for rejuvenation. World Wetlands
Day, celebrated on February 2 every year, should serve as a reminder for
authorities in this regard.
The once water-rich
Varaalchal’s plight has left its immediate surroundings with not less
than 2,000 households water-scarce during summer. The 2.5-km-long,
150-metre-wide natural stream, lying between Koipram and Poovathoor, is
known for its rich biodiversity, especially the inland fish species of
Channa (Varaal as is locally known). Now, this water source is covered
with thickets of grass and cabomba weeds.
Pampa
Parirakshana Samiti (PPS) general secretary N.K. Sukumaran Nair
attributes this sad state of affairs to the drastic depletion of
groundwater and lowering of the Pampa riverbed owing to indiscriminate
river sand-mining over the past four decades. The lowering of the Pampa
riverbed has blocked the water flow between the Varaalchal and the
Pampa, except during floods in the monsoon season, says Mr. Nair. K.N.
Karunakaran, retired teacher and a local resident, says that fisherfolk
who used to eke out a living by inland fishing in Varaalchal are unable
to even enter the heavily weeded wetland.
Mr. Nair
called upon the State Biodiversity Board as well as the local
self-government institutions to initiate urgent measures for the
rejuvenation of Varaalchal. He said efforts must focus on the
restoration of the natural ability of wetland to detoxify wastes,
control floods, restore soil fertility, expunge weeds, purge pollutants,
destroy disease-causing organisms, and support a diversity of aquatic
and bird lives.
The guidelines of the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands have clearly spelt out norms for conservation and
wise management of wetlands. “The Ramsar guidelines state that people
are an important part of the ecology and their livelihood is an
important contributor to the economy of the region.”
Mr.
Nair said cultivation in not less than 500 acres of paddy fields in the
close vicinity of the Varaalchal had become a thing of the past.
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