Problems Faced by Rivers in Kerala
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Drying up in
Summer:- Most of the rivers of the State go dry during summer months
(January to May), because of the rampant deforestation at the sources
of most rivers. Previously, the trees and plants of these areas used
to help to absorb and conserve the rain water in the soil for the post
monsoon periods. It was this stored water that kept the rivers alive
during the summer months. Destruction of forests has also resulted in
increased levels of soil erosion, which in turn has raised the floor
levels of dam reservoirs, thus reducing their
capacity.
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Wet land filling- The above adverse
development was aggravated by largescale conversion of paddy and other
types of wetlands for non-agricultural purposes. This reduced the
recharging of ground water and the subsurface flow to rivers, thus
accelerating the drying up of rivers.
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Sand mining:- The construction boom,
fueled by the inflow of remittances from non-resident indians and the
inherent nature of people to construct ostentatious residential
buildings, leads to indiscriminate mining of sand from rivers. This
has pushed the water table down, reduced the water holding capacity
and adversely affected the diversity of life forms thriving in the
riverine eco system.
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Large Dams:- The large dams across the
rivers, often several of them along the course of the same river, have
adversely affected the flow pattern, extent and nature of sediment
formation and deposition, riverine biodiversity, the quality of
water.
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Deepening of land along the river banks:-
The land along the river banks are often deepened to support
manufacture of bricks. This is also a result of the construction boom
arising from the rapid urbanisation. The adverse results are a
further lowering of water table of the rivers and the weakening of
river banks.
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Encorachment:-The encroachement of river
banks by unauthorised settlers, poses a serious threat to the health
of the rivers in several ways.
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Pollution:- The rivers of the state are
severely polluted. Domestic and urban wastes are a major
source. Industrial wastes and wastes of modern agriculture (chemical
fertilisers and pestieides) add to the problem.
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