Bharathapuzha is dying.
Bharathapuzha is dying. It has been poisoned by the goverment and the people. The sight of a denuded river is no less heart wrenching than that of a hungry malnourished child from a famine zone.
For ages Bharathapuzha (aka Nila) carried water from the hills of Aanamalai in the Western Ghats of South Asia to the Arabian Sea. Entire Ecosystems thrived in it since time immemorial. Then the river was struck with a triple whammy- deforestation at source, damming for irrigation and sand mining to feed the construction boom.
The destruction has been systematic and methodical. The Goverment built dam after dam sapping the water from the river - a total of 6 dams on this 150 mile long river . With the life of water waning, mining contractors descended like vultures to devour whatever is left of the river. Armed with their monstrous trucks and bribes, they sheared the sands from the riverbanks and then from the riverbeds. The notional bans and regulations stayed on paper. Thuggery was employed to deal with officers of conscience.
Sand is the natural protection of the river against rooting weeds and plants. It keeps the path clear for the water to flow smoothly. Once the sand is taken, soil is exposed and it did not take time for the hardy shrubs to take root. Now they cover upto a third or more in many areas. Farmers have started farming in some areas where once the river had its water.
We do not know how much damage has been done. We do not know how much pesticides and fertilizers we have let into the river. We do not know how many species are fighting for their survival on it's dried shale. We do not know the effect of the towns dumping it's untreated sewage into the river. Those are just known unknowns.
The fact that this happened in the 'enlightened' Kerala is a shame. For we cannot consign this apathy to ignorance. The loss is not just ecological and natural. It is as much a cultural loss. Kerala's cultural psyche is anchored to Nila's flow.
For ages Bharathapuzha (aka Nila) carried water from the hills of Aanamalai in the Western Ghats of South Asia to the Arabian Sea. Entire Ecosystems thrived in it since time immemorial. Then the river was struck with a triple whammy- deforestation at source, damming for irrigation and sand mining to feed the construction boom.
The destruction has been systematic and methodical. The Goverment built dam after dam sapping the water from the river - a total of 6 dams on this 150 mile long river . With the life of water waning, mining contractors descended like vultures to devour whatever is left of the river. Armed with their monstrous trucks and bribes, they sheared the sands from the riverbanks and then from the riverbeds. The notional bans and regulations stayed on paper. Thuggery was employed to deal with officers of conscience.
Sand is the natural protection of the river against rooting weeds and plants. It keeps the path clear for the water to flow smoothly. Once the sand is taken, soil is exposed and it did not take time for the hardy shrubs to take root. Now they cover upto a third or more in many areas. Farmers have started farming in some areas where once the river had its water.
We do not know how much damage has been done. We do not know how much pesticides and fertilizers we have let into the river. We do not know how many species are fighting for their survival on it's dried shale. We do not know the effect of the towns dumping it's untreated sewage into the river. Those are just known unknowns.
The fact that this happened in the 'enlightened' Kerala is a shame. For we cannot consign this apathy to ignorance. The loss is not just ecological and natural. It is as much a cultural loss. Kerala's cultural psyche is anchored to Nila's flow.
posted by Sudhir V at 8:49 AM
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