Kuttanad
Kuttanad is the name of a landscape in the southern Indian state of Kerala . It is located in the backwaters south of Lake Vembanad in the Alappuzha district and is crossed by numerous waterways. Around 500 km² of the 1157 km² area is the only region in India to be located below sea level. The deepest point at 2.20 meters below sea level is thus also the deepest point in India. In addition, Kuttanad is considered the granary of Kerala. Rice is the main cultivation in the fertile landscape, where almost 2 million people live .
Environmental problems in Kuttanad
During the rainy south-west monsoon in summer, the rivers and canals in Kuttanad receive fresh water from the Western Ghats . In contrast, seawater from the Vembanad Sea , which is connected to the Arabian Sea , used to flow back during the dry northeast monsoon , which led to bottlenecks in the drinking water supply and salinisation of the soil. As a countermeasure, a dam was built in 1975 to prevent seawater from entering. In this way, the salinization could be stopped, but it also drastically reduced the flow speed of the waterways during the dry season. Rivers are in this season, so employed by sewage and agriculture to stagnant waters pesticides can not drain very dirty water. Nevertheless, it is used as drinking water by the population. Since the dam was built, there has been a significant increase in gastrointestinal diseases and epidemics. A catch basin for rainwater is being considered as a solution.
The enormous water pollution also has negative effects on the biodiversity in Kuttanad. A large part of the native fish and bird species has already been exterminated.
Web links
- Article on environmental problems in Kuttanad from " The Hindu "
Coordinates: 9 ° 25 ′ 30 ″ N , 76 ° 27 ′ 50 ″ E