Bharathapuzha a dying lifeline

30/10/2016.
 Opinion
       823.
                All Members,
         Respected family members of this great holy Nation.

Sub  PROTECTION OF RIVERS

Ref  Bharathapuzha a dying lifeline

1. Bharathapuzha is a 209 km long river which originates in the Anamalai hills of Tamil Nadu and flows into the Arabian Sea.

2. Once a perennial river that was a muse to writers, poets, dancers and musicians, today it is a dead river with vast dry stretches which fills up for a few days in the year when the monsoons arrive.

3. When the rains fail, the sandy stretches of Bharathapuzha are a reminder of the desertification that lies in store for Kerala if it continues to ruin its rivers.

4. The river soon started drying up and its huge sandy beds became a rich source for indiscriminate sand mining.

5. The river bed is today encroached indiscriminately for residential purposes.

6. However what nobody ever speaks about is the restoration of the river to its original flow which would solve all these problems.

7. Despite these calamities, the State Government has not cared to take steps to protect the Bharathapuzha, second longest river in the State.

8. The promise to set up the Bharathapuzha Development Authority and the Bharathapuzha Action Plan remains on paper.

9. During monsoon, the river gets filled up but soon after the rain it goes dry again.

10. This is because the annual average water discharge through the river is simply allowed to flow into the Arabian Sea.

11. About 96-97 per cent of this huge quantity passes to the sea during the monsoon months.

12. The report said that our water resources such as rivers, streams and reservoirs are not protected.

13. River water, river sand and river banks are open to anybody.

14. The river banks are encroached upon, sand is mined and water taken without any control or limit and a major quantity of the waste is dumped into water bodies.

15. The first biodiversity study on the Bharathapuzha conducted by the University Grants Commission has found indiscriminate sand-mining from the river bed as the main reason for its destruction.

16. The study found that indiscriminate sand mining is a dominant environmental issue throughout the river basin.

17.The entire river bed is cut up and run over by a very large number of trucks that descend on it daily to transport sand for customers all over South India.

18. The situation is disastrous between Pattambi and Thirunavaya, where both legal and illegal sand quarrying goes on unabatedly.

19.The study said that Pattambi is the most polluted area along the river.

20. The urban sewage canals directly open into the river and the municipality dumps urban wastes directly into the river, very close to the pump house of the Kerala Water Authority.

21. The hotels, saloons and butcher shops dump their wastes in the river bed.

22. The report said that flow regulation by means of check-dams, pollution mainly agricultural waste, sand and clay mining, destruction of natural pools and riverine vegetation and unscientific fishing methods are the major threats to fish fauna in the river.

23. It said that the encroachment into the river channel also continues unabatedly.

24. Temporary shops appear right inside the river during summer to serve the sand quarry labourers and truck drivers.

25. There are also illegal cultivations with in the river channel.

26.  A total negligence by the CONGRESS LED UDF and COMMUNISTS LED  LDF Governments since the formation of the State.

Note :

1. Pollution, Indiscriminate Sand mining, Indiscriminate encroachment of riverbeds for house construction,and illegal cultivation must be stopped;

2. People indiscipline and misuse must be stopped;

3. Strict management by the river protection unit, including patrolling;

4. Punish the law breakers;

5. Total awakening urgent.

DRYING UP: The Bharathapuzha is the lifeline of a large region

My view

1. A disaster of Nature is not far;

2. Kerala almost dependent of other states for everything;

3. Soon water will be added in the commodity list;

4. The over smartee, mallus going to suffer soon, if they continue to dishonour Nature;

5. The neo rich cult of Gulf money will become a curse soon .

6. Political parties talk stupidity, no time to think Nature;

7. The dump head, uncultured leaders forgot Nature's Law;

8. Humanity is sustained by Nature;

9. Without Nature human existence will be washed out

10. Lord has two prakruti-s, 1. Nature and living and nonliving things 2. Jivatma = PARAMATMA.

 MALLUS MIND  THIS.

           Thank you for reading
           JAIHIND.
            To be continued...