Heavy rain in Kanyakumari

Nagercoil: Heavy rain lashed various parts of the district for the fourth day on Tuesday following the onset of the southeast monsoon at Kerala.

Even as the district administration had announced that water from the Pechipparai dam would be released for irrigation on June 7, the farmers have already started ploughing their paddy fields following heavy rains and also started raising nurseries.

Electrocuted

In the meantime, a woman and her child were electrocuted when they came in contact with a live electric wire at Eraniel, owing to heavy rain.

The bodies were sent for post-mortem at Kanyakumari government medical college hospital at Asaripallam.

The maximum rainfall of 34.4 mm was recorded at Puthen dam, 33 in Nagercoil followed by 33.8 in Perunchani, 28.4 in Puthen dam, 25 in Surulode, 15.4 in Kottaram and 10.8 in Kannimar.

From THE HINDU

Nagercoil: Widespread rain

Nagercoil: The catchement areas of Kanyakumari district witnessed widespread rain on Friday.

According to sources, fishermen from different parts of the district did not venture into sea for fishing following rough weather. The Poombuhar shipping corporation in Kanyakumari suspended the ferry service to the Thiruvalluvar statue, as it could not anchor luxurious boats.

From THE HINDU

Awareness of need for growing mangrove plants increased in Kanyakumari district

NGOs have raised saplings on the banks of Rajakkamangalam estuary

Nagercoil: Awareness among the fishermen community of the need for growing mangrove plants has gained momentum in the coastal areas of the district after tsunami devastated the entire coastal environment in Kanyakumari district.

Indeed it has come as boon to them, as its root held the boulders intact, wherever the Government has constructed anti-sea erosion walls or groins to prevent the sea erosion.

A cross section of the tsunami-affected people in the coastal villages of the district said that that the district administration in co-operation with various non-governmental organisations came forward to raise mangrove plants in estuaries in the coastal areas of the district after tsunami, because in few places where there were mangroves, the damage caused by the tsunami was very low throughout the State when compared to other coastal areas.

Besides raising 50,000 mangrove plants to the length of 8 to 10 km in Manakudi estuary, non-governmental organisations in consultation with various environmentalists have raised saplings (mangroves) on the banks of Rajakkamangalam estuary to the length of 2 km and around the ponds within the premises of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University’s Marine Centre for Biotechnology in Rajakkamangalam.

Mangroves in Kanyakumari district, especially in Manakudy and Rajakkamangalam estuaries acted as a strong barrier to the pillaging effects of the giant waves. Mangrove plantation, wherever it was possible in the coastal areas of the district, was one of the programmes after tsunami hit the entire coast among several other programmes were developed for preventing and managing nature’s fury.

Mangroves protected the seacoasts, estuaries from heavy wind and storms and their roots withheld the silt and the clayey soil (Manavalakurichy) thus preventing soil erosion.

The mangrove forests also helped in the maintenance of bio-diversity. Migratory birds like pelicans, painted storks, cormorants, darters, cranes and indigenous storks visited the estuaries and roosted in the mangroves. Bird droppings enriched the water body and it could be seen in the catch of fish, prawns and more than 5,000 kg of white prawns were harvested by the fishermen in and around Manakudi in a year.

The district administration in co-operation with various agencies had been decided to raise mangrove forests in Eraiyammanthurai estuary and on the banks of Anantha Victoria Marthanda Varma channel near Manavalakurich, where one could see lot of sand dunes.

From THE HINDU

Call to preserve water tanks in Kanyakumari

Nagercoil: A seminar on the status of tanks was convened here by environmentalists attached to various non-governmental organisations on Saturday.

Most of the tanks of Kanyakumari district were full of weeds which reduced their capacity and promoted evaporation of water resources of Kanyakumari district intended for irrigation and drinking water purposes.

Further, many tanks were encroached upon and land filled by real estate groups. The hills of the district were exploited for the sand which was dumped in to the tanks, paddy fields and wetlands, said former principal scientist, CMFRI, R.S.Lal Mohan.

Presiding over the seminar, he said that the tanks of Kanyakumari were located on a steep gradient which paved the way for the rain water to mingle with sea at a faster rate.

The constituted the natural rainwater harvesting system which made the district fertile. But due to the lack of understanding the geomorphology of the district, the tanks were allowed to be filled with aquatic vegetation belonging to various species of weeds like water hyacinth, ipomoea, grass, etc.

e tanks also recharge groundwater sources. Nowadays, the residents get drinking water once in five days in some places and once in 8 days in other areas. The district was unique in its ecology and wetlands and no unplanned developments should be allowed to turn the district into a desert, cautiond Mr. Mohan.

Environmentalist Jasmine Asir said that the water scarcity had a great impact on women. She stressed that the hardship of the rural women would increase manifold due to the land filling of the tanks and destruction of water resources.

From THE HINDU

Tamilnadu: Plea to protect hills of Kanyakumari

Nagercoil: The Nagercoil chapter of Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has urged the government to take steps to protect the hills in Kanyakumari district. It has urged the Director of Town Country Planning, Chennai, district administration, departments of forest, and mines and minerals to protect the hills and the wetlands in the district.

Speaking to The Hindu, the co-convener of INTACH, Sumithra Raghuvaran, said that the district was famous for its hills and hillocks. Because of its natural features, Kanyakumari district was under the purview of Hill Area Conservation Authority, according to which hills should be protected. But contrary to this regulation, hills and hillocks were being exploited by private parties. Due to rampant mining, Erachakulam hill, Marunthukottai hill and Maiyakottai hill had been destroyed.

From THE HINDU