THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The move by Kerala University to increase greenery at the Karyavattom University Campus as part of the ‘Harithalayam’ initiative is drowning in controversies. A section of students and environmentalists are speaking strongly against it, alleging that the activities involved in the project are unscientific and badly planned, and might actually be destroying the rich biodiversity of the campus. Harithalayam project was launched last month as a derivative of the Kerala Government’s ‘Subiksha Keralam’ programme which aims to promote large scale production of paddy, fruits, and vegetables.
According to students, the conversion of marshland into a paddy fields is destabilising the eco-system within the campus. “Around 100 acres of the campus used to be untouched forest for the past three or four decades. Now, the project is threatening the natural habitat of many species of migratory birds. They are cutting down acacia trees destroying shade falling on a vast area. Rapid destruction and change being instilled sin such a short span of time can have unimaginable consequences,” alleged a student, who didn’t want to be named.
According to a study conducted in 2018-20, it was found that the Kerala University Campus is home to around 92 species of birds, including rare ones like Black Baza, Forrest Wagtail, Lesser Yellow Nape, and Malabar Trogon. Principal agriculture officer T V Rajendra Lal said that the 20-acre marshland identified for the initiative used to be a paddy field three decades ago. “It has been lying barren for decades now. By reclaiming one cent of paddy land we are conserving four lakh litres of groundwater,” said TV Rajendra Lal.
He added that the project is being implemented jointly by Kerala State Agricultural Mechanisation Mission and district agriculture office. Given the fact that our state is likely to face food shortage following the pandemic, the initiative is quite relevant, he said. “It is necessary that we become self-sufficient in terms of cultivation. Also, our aim is to inculcate this knowledge of agriculture practices among students,” he added.
Environmentalist and District Tree Committee member Sridhar Radhakrishnan said that the protests are not against the reclamation of paddy fields, but the lack of planning and research is the real issue. “A project of this magnitude deserves scientific planning. Blindly clearing out acres of acacia trees cannot be right, and it should have been done over time to reduce impact,” he said.
However, the Kerala University authorities denied the allegations and claimed that only 40 to 50 acres of the land is currently used for the initiative and the rest of the green cover/ forest remains untouched. “Acacia trees are being felled and we are replacing them with fruit plants, coconut trees and other saplings brought from Andaman Nicobar Island. Also, we have renovated the Hymaathi Pond and we are planting more vegetation surrounding the pond. We have reclaimed the erstwhile paddy land in the campus. All these activities are done scientifically with the help of the agriculture department,” said Advocate A Ajikumar, Convener of Planning and Development Standing Committee of Kerala University Syndicate.