Large patches of mangroves with white storks offer some relief as one enters the Kundannoor-Thevara bridge that touch Kundannoor. A slice of Nettoor that lies beneath the bridge makes one take a detour. Unlike the surrounding areas, tall buildings are absent at the Ambalakadavu ward of Maradu municipality.
Apart from the bridge, the other way to reach the mangroves from Thevara is by a ferry service across a backwater stretch that connects the neighbouring Kumbalam panchayat. The boat ‘Bolgatti’ gives a free ride to Ambalakadavu jetty in Nettoor. On the other side, residents are engaged in angling or catching crabs using round nets.
En route, we meet K V Maanikan, a 67-year-old resident of the APJ Abdul Kalam Residents Association. He walks us through the narrow lanes of the region towards the mangroves behind his house. The ubiquitous Chinese nets seen on islands in and around Kochi are missing at the Ambalakadavu ward. A few can be found to the right of the bridge and at a distance in Kumbalam. While we marvel at the thick vegetation, Maanikan is quick to register his disapproval for the shrub that shares his property. The residents have fallen out of favour with mangroves.
“I was the only one among 12 siblings to take up fishing since the ‘70s. My father, K Velu, got a licence to use ‘kambavala’ (Chinese net). But the mangroves have taken over the banks and our property,” says Maanikan. He takes us to the house of Jaya Joseph, the councillor of the ward, to discuss more about mangroves. On the way, we meet another resident, K K Mani, who had another disappointing day in finding a job. “It is tough to get jobs after the lockdown.
People have become very cautious of spending,” says Mani. Jaya, a Congress leader, is convinced that the mangroves grew because of clay sedimentation. Jaya, who was married into the island 30 years ago, says there hasn’t been much development in the area since the railway line sort of cornered them. “The roads are narrow and we need better connectivity to the city,” she says.
Joseph Jude alias Jojo, an autorickshaw driver, joins our conversation. He points out that the narrow roads have become a major challenge during emergencies. To resolve their travel woes, the residents want a coastal road connecting the Kundannoor-Thevara bridge on the northern side and the Nettoor-Kumbalam bridge on the southern side.They even tried to cut down the mangroves two years ago to make way for the road. But it was met with stiff resistance from green activists and the Left parties. Vijayan, a boat operator working on ‘Bolgatti’ since 2012, says the demand to cut down mangroves was not a good idea.