A research study by a husband-wife duo, both professors, one at the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K) and the other at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), has revealed that rapid urbanisation in Kozhikode city has led to the extensive destruction of the Kottooli wetlands, a proposed Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention of 1971.
Deepak Dayanithy, a professor in strategic management at IIM-K, and Anjana Bhagyanathan, a professor in landscape architecture at NIT-C, have published their study in the journal Area of the Royal Geographical Society. They pointed out that contrary to popular belief, the Conolly Canal was not beneficial to the ecosystem of the Kottooli wetlands.
“The outflow of water from the wetland into the canal has caused an overall reduction in the water level, which in turn resulted in total wetland area loss. This created dry areas within the wetland, thus fragmenting it, and loss of ‘core’ areas that are important for hydrological and biological characteristics,” said Ms. Bhagyanathan. The canal also caused loss of agricultural land to a great extent.
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