KALPETTA : Residents of Panamaram, one of the worst-hit areas in Wayanad, cannot fathom how the Panamaram river which lapped up their dwellings and crops during the great deluge could have become such a far cry from its ruthless self in a matter of a few weeks. Similar is the story of numerous streams flowing through the hilly district. Water that gushed through streams with brutal force has now reduced to a trickle. However, experts say there’s nothing unusual.
According to Dinesan V P, senior principal scientist and Geomatics Division head, CWRDM, a number of factors are responsible for the sudden dip in the water level. “Rivers in Kerala are mostly rain-fed. During the flood, a huge amount of surface water accumulated due to heavy rain in catchment areas flowed through rivers in a short span. However, after August 20, the Southwest monsoon has been on the wane.
This means the reduced quantity of water flowing through the rivers now is mostly groundwater,” he said.
The velocity with which water gushed along rivers removed all obstructions on the way, leading to faster outflow. Also, the river bed has been washed away considerably at many places. These factors have had a bearing on the water levels too, scientists said.
With groundwater now constituting most of the outflow from rivers, there has been a proportional decrease in water levels in wells and ponds nearby.According to Dinesan, groundwater discharge through rivers is witnessing a steep decline with every passing year. This is due to the alarming rate at which paddy fields, hills and ponds have dwindled.