You are currently browsing the daily archive for May 13th, 2008.
Thiruvananthapuram: The mere mention of Kerala was enough to summon images of lush green paddy fields and endless expanses of coconut gardens till the recent past. However, things have changed with the commercial boom and unscientific construction activities, which plundered the God gifted natural bounties like perennial water bodies and fertile patches of land to the core.
Today, Kerala is now degraded into just a full fledged consumer state, which is at the mercy of its neighbors for anything and everything from vegetables, fruits, rice and even flowers to deck up its brides or to make floral carpets during Onam- the most important festival in this state!
Government is taking steps to promote vegetable, rice and fruit cultivation apart from the production of milk, meat and honey to cater to the requirements of its populace. An exhibition is currently on in Thiruvananthapuram, which showcases an array of mangoes, honey and other useful products. The agriculture minister who inaugurated the exhibition stressed on the significance of equipping the bee farmers of Kerala for producing premium quality honey. The minister said that model farms would be set up for cultivating all types of mangoes under the Agriculture Department and the Agricultural varsity. People would be able to procure good quality mango saplings from Horticorp.
The present day sorry state of affairs in this incredible State is a far cry from its erstwhile self sufficient portrait. Kerala was once a self sufficient state where vegetables were grown in every backyard and the rice bowls of Kuttanad and Palakkad catered to the staple diet of all the Malayalees with ease. However, with increased urbanization, the pressure on land increased, which in turn led to the reclamation of large tracts of fertile and cultivable land for construction purposes. If the current trends are any indication, the day is not far away when there would be severe food shortage.
So, let’s all do our bit to make this wonderful state a land of plenty!
Kochi: Gone are the days when almost every Kerala home used to have a pond to bathe and separate, well maintained wells for both drinking and irrigation purposes. With the advent of urbanization and the much hyped flat boom, every inch of land including precious water bodies like ponds, paddy fields and wetlands were unscientifically leveled to construct concrete buildings that do not complement with the milieu of Kerala.
Destruction of water bodies not just drastically reduces the ground water level thereby pushing up the atmospheric temperature but also would lead to the extinction of an array of exotic water birds and plants. Now, light seems to be at the end of the tunnel as the Government has finally decided to digitally map all water bodies that are at least 1 metre deep to derive a comprehensive data base of wetlands.
The mapping is being carried out by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSSB) in association with the scientists from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History and the Kerala Forest Research Institute. The mapping process is time consuming and is expected to span over a period of 10 months. The initial mapping that is being carried out by geographical information system would also be physically verified. The data derived from these surveys will help in the scientific management and conservation of wetlands of Kerala.
This project assumes greater importance as the wetlands in the State are under grave threat. With the completion of this project, we can hope Kerala would regain its lost glory as the land of pristine lakes and water bodies, the priceless gifts of nature, which not many places on earth can boast.
