THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of Let’s Secure Western Ghats, an initiative that aims to mitigate mudslides and landslides in vulnerable areas in the Western Ghats by retrieving stalled watercourses, Haritha Kerala Mission jointly with the local bodies has reclaimed around 2,742.44 km of the watercourse network.
The Haritha Kerala Mission has completed the mapping of natural watercourses and drainage systems of 216 out of 230 grama panchayats. 4,6531.63-km-long canal networks have been identified in the 230 panchayats.
According to officials, this year priority will be given to retrieving watercourses in grama panchayats of Idukki and Wayanad – districts that are most vulnerable to landslides and mudflows.
With the majority of interventions for rejuvenation required in forest areas, the Haritha Kerala Mission recently held meetings with the forest department to get the necessary permissions. It is learned that many streams in forest areas are blocked by fallen trees and such hindrances can be removed only with the permission of the forest department.
Assistant coordinator Abraham Koshy of Haritha Keralam Mission said that in many places streams have been diverted for construction activities.
“Our aim was to complete the mapping by 2024 but owing to adverse weather we couldn’t do the mapping as per schedule. However, we have begun parallel efforts to retrieve the courses in many panchayats already.
Systematically tracing and reclaiming the whole watercourse networks of Western Ghats to channelise rainwater is crucial for the growing landslides and mudflows in these regions,” said Abraham Koshy. This year we will be giving top priority to disaster-prone panchayats in the Wayanad and Idukki districts. Around 13,604 km of watercourses have been identified in Idukki district and Wayanad has around 5280.86 km.
“We are preparing an action plan to implement the initiative in these two districts and there are budget allocations to execute it. Besides this, we are looking for other possible funds under other schemes,” he added.
Retrieving the stalled watercourses, ensuring smooth flow of water through channels and restoring and revitalising the entire watercourse system are the primary objectives of the initiative.
“We have identified the network of natural streams and drains using satellite imagery and our volunteers, mainly the student community, go there and locate the hindered watercourses and mark the current plight of the waterway in the software,” said Abraham Koshy.
In Kollam, there are around seven panchayats in Western Ghats, of which watercourses have been retrieved in three panchayats – Alayamon, Yeroor and Thenmala.
The work has been completed. District coordinator of Haritha Kerala Mission S Issac said that many small streams have been retrieved and rejuvenated as part of the initiative. In all, 52 streams in Alayamon panchayat, 175 streams in Yeroor panchayat and 62 streams in Thenmala panchayat have been cleared.
Watercourses and natural drains mapped as part of the initiative
Total districts: 8
Total grama panchayats: 216
Kollam: 3,341.81 km (385 .086 km retrieved)
Pathanamthitta: 5,778.99 km (96.73 km retrieved)
Kottayam: 4,443.61 km (68.9 km retrieved)
Idukki: 13,604 km
Ernakulam: 2,263.01 km (566.37 km retrieved)
Palakkad: 6,649.57 km (1,372.19 km retrieved)
Kozhikode: 2,406.19 km (3.65 km retrieved)
Wayanad: 5,280.86 km (77.4 km retrieved)
Kannur: 2,762 .71 km (171.9 km retrieved)