Saline intrusion, due to leakage in the regulators, is threatening the survival of Kole fields that spreads over 13,612 hectares in Thrissur and Malappuram districts. The fields, which lie 0.5 to 2.5 m below the sea level, provide 40% of Kerala’s rice requirement.
Enamavu Lock, a regulator at the estuarine mouth, meant to serve as a barrier against salt water intrusion into the vast stretch of Kole fields, was built in 1957 with the most advanced technologies available then. Two other regulators, Idianchira and Munayam, too were commissioned in 1998 for the same purpose.
Over a period, all these regulators developed leakage and have turned almost defunct. The temporary mud bunds, which are built every year, have failed to stop the salt water intrusion causing huge loss to the Kole farmers.
Loss of ₹12.57 cr. in 2 years
“The 3,104 Kole farmers from Vengidangu and Mullassery panchayats alone had suffered a loss of ₹12.57 crore (4,424 tonnes of paddy) in the past two years. Thanneerkayal, a Kole field of Vengidangu panchayat, did not even get a single spike of paddy in the past year,” said K.K. Aneesh Kumar, who conducted a study on the impact of saline intrusion into Kole fields.
The regulators have two functions. During rain, they allow draining of the floodwater entering the Kole fields to the backwaters through Conolly Canal and subsequently to the sea through Chettuva Estuary. On the other hand, it blocks the intrusion of salt water to the Kole fields, which lays below the sea level, during the dry season.
“Protecting the Kole fields, the lifeline of Thrissur and Malappuram districts, is the responsibility of the government. Kole fields provide a livelihood to thousands of farm families and fishers. Apart from providing the major share of States’ paddy needs, it protects Thrissur city and Ponnani town from flooding. Protecting the Kole fields also means protecting the water resources of the adjoining habitations,” said E.J. James, former Director of Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) and member of the Governing Body of Wetlands International South Asia.
A Ramsar site
He stressed the urgent need to reconstruct Enamavu-Idianchira-Munayam regulators, with modern technology, including automatic saline sensors, to protect the Kole fields, a designated Ramsar site of unique ecological and biological importance.
Every year temporary mud bunds are constructed at a cost of ₹60 lakh-70 lakh at the mouth of Enamavu and Idianchira locks to resist leakage. However, it is not done on time to prevent salinisation and drying of fields, farmers complain. Moreover, the temporary structures built with huge amount of money have to be demolished in the next rainy season to avoid flooding.
A recent convention of the Kole farmers threatened a protest demanding urgent reconstruction of the regulators to protect the Kole fields. Crop damage due to salt water intrusion does not come under insurance coverage, the farmers said.
