There was a time when the Kottooly wetlands in the heart of Kozhikode city could boast of at least seven different varieties of mangroves. But now, the mangrove forest here is depleting, despite it being under the Coastal Regulation Zone. The newly set up mangrove nursery in Sarovaram Biopark is a tiny step towards preventing the depletion of mangroves from the ecologically sensitive region.
The mangrove nursery was set up under ‘Paristhithikam’, an ecosystem rejuvenation programme, being organised by the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change of the Government of Kerala through Darshanam Samskarika Vedi in the district. The first task under the programme, clearing the wetlands of plastic waste and setting up the nursery, was undertaken on Wednesday with the help of environmentalis and the National Service Scheme volunteers of LISSAH College, Kaithappoyil.
“Due to the accumulation of plastic waste, the mangroves may not be able to absorb enough oxygen through their roots. The shortage of salt water, that helps maintain the ecosystem here, is another reason for the depletion of the mangroves,” said M.A. Johnson, coordinator of Paristhithikam. The polluted water in Conolly Canal is also harmful to the mangroves, he added. Due to the blocks created by landfilling, the salt water that passes through Conolly Canal does not enter the wetlands as before. Organisms such as crabs and fishes usually come to the wetlands during high tide and leave during low tide after procreation.
In the first phase of mangrove restoration, the students of LISSAH College planted around 1,000 saplings of Rhizophora mucronata (Pranthan Kandal) along the shores of the wetland. They will sprout leaves in a week or two, after which the saplings will be replanted at appropriate locations that have already been identified. Other mangrove varieties would be planted during their respective seasons, said Mr. Johnson.
Parayil Rajan, also known as Kandal Rajan, a mangrove restoration activist from Kannur, was honoured on the occasion of setting up the mangrove nursery.
