Kanniyakumari district losing its water systems due to proliferation of invasive plants

NAGERCOIL:

Kanniyakumari district, which is dotted with h2o bodies, is present seeking assistance for their extortion arsenic respective of them are overrun with weeds, h2o hyacinth and different invasive aquatic plants.

The lakes and tanks, erstwhile a captious root of h2o proviso for irrigation and home use, contiguous a disturbing representation caused by shrinkage successful country owed to proliferation of invasive plants that artifact the overflow outlets and exacerbate the concern during monsoon.

For instance, the waterbody located other the Government Taluk Hospital successful Boothapandy has been successful a neglected information for years. Only a tiny spot of h2o is disposable successful the vessel now.

Chenbagasekara Pillai, a husbandman from Thuvarankadu, says the information of the vessel has been worsening implicit the years. Earlier, farmers and different villagers straight maintained the h2o bodies successful their portion including the opening of outlet shutters. “However, the Public Works Department took power of the h2o bodies, which started losing their sheen and purpose.”

Most h2o bodies successful the territory are interconnected, with 1 tank’s surplus filling another. “The invasive aquatic plants artifact oregon dilatory down the discharge of h2o and airs a menace to the vessel itself and different connected h2o bodies,” helium adds.

Similarly, Putheri water (Putheri Kulam) besides faces a large menace from the aquatic plants. Besides agriculture, the water besides serves arsenic a transit constituent for migratory birds and, hence, a fashionable bird-watching spot. However, successful caller years, it has begun to deteriorate owed to negligence and apathy of the authorities departments concerned.

Paul Mathi of Kanniyakumari Nature Foundation contends that the vessel has been serving arsenic an progressive bird-watching spot, and steps indispensable beryllium taken to forestall further dispersed of the invasive plants.

Thanu Pillai, a subordinate of Kodhayar Irrigation Project Committee, argues that diminution successful agriculture is simply a large origin for the deteriorating information of the h2o bodies. “When agriculture flourished successful the district, the tanks and lakes remained successful bully information owed to steadfast inflow and outflow of water. However, erstwhile agriculture declines, the h2o bodies successful the portion go stagnant, starring to their deterioration.”

Mr. Thanu Pillai feels that nary factual measures person been taken to desilt Mukkdalal dam, the superior h2o root of Nagercoil Corporation, and summation its capacity. The Corporation tin see drafting h2o from Putheri water for the aforesaid purpose, which whitethorn amended the information of the lake, helium says

Another illustration is simply a h2o assemblage located on Putheri-Boothapandy way successful Erachakulam area. Lack of periodical attraction is simply a communal origin noticed successful the deterioration of the h2o bodies, which, successful turn, affects groundwater recharge.

With the South-West Monsoon opening connected a affirmative enactment successful the district, due absorption of the waterbodies volition beryllium beneficial to farmers and assistance support ecological balance.

Speaking to The Hindu, Kanniyakumari Collector M. Prathap said that inspections would beryllium carried retired and measures taken to reconstruct the the waterbodies. “We volition research the possibilities for desilting and bringing them backmost to their archetypal condition.”