KOCHI: K Leelama, a resident of Kakkanad, starts her day by sweeping her 3,000 sq ft courtyard. Since she has been doing this for the past 18 years, she finishes the job in 15 minutes. Now though, she has to spend more than two hours to clean the premises of the house which is located near Kusumagiri Hospital, thanks to the African Snails infestation. From the kitchen to toilets, the giant African snail menace is rampant. Manju Das, also a resident of Kakkanad, said her mother always wakes up to find hundreds of giant snails in their courtyard. “She spends around three hours in the morning getting rid of these snails,” she said.
Leelama has been waging battling with these giant snails in the courtyard for four years, and according to her, this year, their numbers have increased. The snails destroy the vegetables and fruits cultivated in homes. “These snails mainly feed on the juices of fruits and vegetables and lots of watermelons, passion fruits and vegetables we cultivated were destroyed,” said Manju.
The residents in the area are clueless about how to resolve the issue. “We do not know from where they come. Their stench is unbearable. The monsoon seems ideal for reproduction and thousands of eggs seem to emerge from a giant snail’s shell,” she added.The residents also fear using salt in their field to fight the snails will cause environmental problems. “We use around 10 packets of salt a week to kill these creatures. We spend more than R 2,000 a month for killing them, using bleaching powders and chemical pesticides. Sometimes even this seems inadequate,” said Leelama.
According to T V Sajeev, head of the Forest Health Division at the Kerala Forest Research Institute, “The African snail is a land species and marine scientists have explored the possibility of consuming the snails and also stated there could be a huge export opportunity. No one has attempted it so far, though.”
Meanwhile, in order to put an end to this menace, the Link Valley Villa Residents Association in Kakkanad are set to register a complaint with the Thrikkakara Municipality and also to panchayat officials. “This year, since the snail menace has reached its peak, we will be seeking the intervention of Municipality authorities to tackle the situation,” said Thankachan George, vice-president of the residents’ association.