A shrinking Meenachil river gets a voice in Pala bypoll

The Meenachil River is known as the artery of Kottayam district. Named after goddess Meenakshi, the 78-kilometre freshwater body is the lifeline to the farmlands and industries along its banks.

The river that once flowed through the towns of Poonjar, Erattupetta, Pala, Kidangoor and Kottayam has transformed into a thin stream of sewage water in the past two decades.

In the two recent August deluges that wreaked havoc, the Meenachil river went into a spate in Pala and surrounding areas, reclaiming its own territory.

However, the impact of the floods failed to get deserved attention in the Pala bypoll campaign.

The front-runners in the contest, United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Jose Tom and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Mani C Kappan, have been focusing their campaigns on the potential developmental activities that they envisage. However, they are not keen on addressing environmental concerns. They are ignoring the issues related to Meenachil river conservation.

To add to the concerns of green activists, the proposed Pala river-view road extension plan is being talked about in the campaign.

The greens charge that the current stretch of river-view road had been built by claiming a large part of the Meenachil causing severe stress to the river.

Now, plans are being made to extend the road till Kottaramattam, through a 1,047-metre stretch of the river bank. Environmental activists allege that around 153 piles will be installed in this stretch for the project, a measure that would adversely affect the river.

“We have moved the Kerala High Court against this project. No measures have been taken by the politicians and the governments to envisage the project in a way that wouldn't harm the river,” says S Ramachandran, president of the Meenachil River Rejuvenation Project, a people’s collective for river conservation.

The river-view road project had been proposed by the earlier UDF government and repackaged by the LDF.

The project was officially launched by Public Works Department (PWD) Minister G Sudhakaran in 2018.

Rs 14 crore has been allotted for land reclamation and Rs 47.5 crore for construction.

According to the PWD, the road will be built using the 'pre-stressed slab' technology.

The 903 metre-long road which would have a width of 12 metres will be built on pillars installed in the northern bank of the river.

Activists allege that the project will severely harm the shrinking river owing to encroachments and unscrupulous mining.  

According to Dr B Sreekumar, president of the Kottayam Nature Society, the environmental awareness campaigns triggered by the fury of floods have been short-lived.

“People are still not concerned about the magnitude of the issue. When it comes to the Meenachil river, pollution is its greatest threat. The innumerable sewers opening to the river are slowly poisoning the largest fresh-water resource in the district. The industrial chemicals, pesticide residues and the sewage waste brought by the Meenachil River and its tributaries are getting emptied in the Vembanadu lake, posing a threat to those who live on its banks as well as its aquatic life, ” Sreekumar said.

The Kottayam Nature Society had organised walks for children along the banks of Meenachil in 2000 and a fish count in the river in 2004 to raise awareness about the perils it faces.

The Pala Karshakavedi, a collective of farmers in the area, has also been in the forefront of the campaign for the river’s revival.

They have been propagating messages of organic farming that helps to free the water bodies of harmful pesticide and fertilizer residues.

Tomichen Scaria of the Karshakavedi says an increase in farming short-term crops like pineapple, which incidentally is the poll symbol of the  UDF candidate, has contributed to the increasing use of chemical agents.

“Unlike cardamom, coffee or rubber, pineapple cultivation is mostly an unregulated activity. Pineapples are usually cultivated on slopes and this enhances the possibility of pesticides being carried by the rainwater to rivulets, which will eventually contaminate the river. The Krishi Bhavans across the state should stay more vigil against the use of banned pesticides and chemicals,” he said.

Tomichen also blamed the unchecked dumping of construction waste to the river from dismantled buildings.

“As of now, we don’t have a proper mechanism to dispose of concrete waste. So they dump it in the river instead. Not just spreading awareness, but stringent measures should be taken against culprits to tackle this menace,” Tomichen added.

The Meenachil River Protection Forum is backing independent candidate Maju Puthenkandam in the Pala assembly bypoll.

"We forced anti-quarry crusader Maju to contest this bypoll to make a statement. The LDF and the UDF have done little to tackle various environmental issues in our state. They have sabotaged the Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules. Its amendments have brought provisions that are in stark contrast with the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957. We need someone to resonate our voice and that’s why we are supporting Maju,” Ramachandran said.

“When we protest the implementation of projects that harm the river, they label us as ‘anti-development activists’. What they don’t realise is that this river is the lifeline of Pala. Any measures taken to harm it will reflect directly on its reserve areas and banks. The past two floods prove it. The more we restrict the natural flow of a river, the more it is likely to reclaim it,” he added.

It remains to be seen if green activists can indeed make a statement on Pala's political terrain.