KOCHI: The strange incident of Muttar river changing its natural course, putting in danger the lives and property of people staying on the shore, has given rise to serious concerns on environmental impact. Environmentalists point out that it could just be an indicator for similar incidents in the future on the banks of the river Periyar and various canals in the district. “There are various reasons like rising number of brick kilns on the banks of rivers, increasing sand mining and the destruction of the riparian ecosystem. Here, the river changed its course after an artificial block due to weeds coupled with other man-made materials. If the authorities do not take urgent measures to restore the vegetation on the banks of rivers, this may occur in other places soon,” said environmentalist Geojose.
It has been pointed out that the phenomenon of a river changing its course may cause a lot of variations in the surrounding environment. Soil and land erosion are the primary impact. Naturally, the erosion will lead to the uprooting of trees.
Incidents of deforestation, reducing buffer areas, cemented floors which prevent water going down to the soil and accumulation of artificial waste and plastic can affect the natural flow of rivers. Since the soil has become more solid and stuffy, water gets collected after each rainfall and directly flows into the nearest water body. This will lead to soil erosion. “The same incident may occur at other places and canals like ‘Thukalan kuttiya thode’ or ‘Manjalithode’ in the future. It may also create some health issues.
This stagnated water will attract mosquitoes. Earlier, there was a process of rivers getting a natural washing during the high tide. Reclamation of paddy-fields and backwaters has affected this process. Marshy lands and wetlands are decreasing owing to man-made activities,” point out environmentalists.
kochi@expressbuzz.com
