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Wetlands of Kerala

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Sengupta, M. and Dalwani, R. (Editors). 2008
Proceedings of Taal 2007: The 12th World Lake Conference: 1889-1893

Wetlands of Kerala
K. Kokkal*, P. Harinarayanan and K.K. Sabu
Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), Sasthra Bhavan, Pattom,
Thiruvananthapuram 695004, Kerala, India
*Corresponding author Email: drkokkal@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Kerala is one of the green States of India and is well known for its wetlands. There are about 217
wetland areas in Kerala and it accounts for as much as one fifth of the land area of the State. The unique
wetland ecosystems of Kerala include marshy and water logged areas, vast polders (paddy cultivation
areas) associated with backwaters, and lakes and the Myristica Swamps in the Western Ghat forests.
Besides, Kerala contains a few wetlands of International / National importance. These include
Vembanad – Kole, Ashtamudi and Sasthamcotta lakes which are also designated as Ramasar sites of
Kerala.
Wetland systems directly or indirectly support thousands of people providing goods and services to
them. However, urbanization, developmental activities and mushrooming of residential complexes have
fragmented the contiguity of the wetlands and destroyed its vegetation. Though there were no
quantitative estimates on the rate of destruction of wetlands in Kerala, the qualitative degradation of the
ecosystem is, more or less, well understood. The major issues facing the wetlands of Kerala are mainly
related to pollution, eutrophication, encroachment, reclamation, mining and biodiversity loss.
A good number of management programmes were initiated during the last five years for
developing and implementing sustainable management plans for wetlands. The Kerala State Council for
Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) has prepared Management Action Plans for
Vembanad, Sasthamkotta and Ashtamudi lakes. Centre for Water Resources Development and
Management (CWRDM) has initiated Management Action Plan preparation for Vembanad, Ashtamudi,
Sasthamcotta and Kottuli wetlands which are being implemented with support of Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF). Many of the wetlands in Kerala including Vembanad-Kole are being
monitored as part of the Asian Waterfowl Census implemented under the auspicious of Wetlands
International. Need for protection of the wetlands has gained much attention due to activities of many
community based organizations in the State. Protection groups are functioning in almost all areas of
individual lakes, rivers and even large ponds. Appropriate management initiatives exclusively for the
wetlands under a duly authorized agency may be constituted. The concerted efforts of the Government
agencies as well as NGOs shall help to address the problems being faced by the wetland ecosystems in
the Kerala State. The details of wetlands of Kerala and their issues are being discussed in the paper.

Keywords: Wetlands, Kerala, Bioresources, Mangroves, Food Toxicity, Species loss, Navigation,
Management

INTRODUCTION 38864 sq km, there exists much ambiguity in the

classification of wetlands. Thus, major classes and
Kerala is well known for its wetlands. These types of wetlands are redefined keeping the MoEF
wetlands provided livelihood to the residents in the classification system as the standard. Accordingly the
forms of agricultural produce, fish, fuel, fiber, following major wetland classification system is
fodder, and a host of other day-to-day necessities. suggested by CED (2003), for Kerala (table 1).
Infrastructure development in the form of roads, Delineation of wetlands into the above said
railways, and other lines of communication categories is mainly done on the basis of various
fragmented the contiguity of the wetlands in the parameters like location, physical extent, depth,
state, and destroyed extensive tracts of coastal salinity, bio-diversity etc.
vegetation thereby upsetting the entire complex
ecology. Coastal Kerala with its high density of Wetlands of Kerala : Present Scenario
population cannot bear such onslaughts any longer.
Geomorphologically, the wetlands in Kerala Kerala, despite its small land area of 38864 km2, has
may be divided among five major systems at the about 590 km long coastline studded with world's
broadest level as marine, estuarine, riverine, and best string of beaches. It is bestowed with a vast
lacustrine and palustrine. Due to the unique physical network of backwaters, lagoons, natural lakes, rivers
characteristics Kerala endows, like backwater and canals.
systems and a diverse terrain of high land, midland The State has two clearly distinct rainfall
and low land within a thin strip of landmass of about seasons i.e., south west monsoon and north east
monsoon resulting in near water-logged conditions in programme to prepare Management Action Plan for
almost 20% of the total geographic area of the State. Kottuli Wetland. The components include mangrove
Thus, as much as one fifth of its total landmass is afforestation, pollution abatement, fishery
wetlands. Nair et al (2001) reported a total of 217 development, social interventions and monitoring
wetland areas in Kerala (table 2), of which157 and evaluation which have been formulated and
greater than 56.25 ha with an aerial extend of 127930 implemented with multi- institutional participation.
ha, in which 64 designated as “inland wetlands” (area
34199.5 ha), whereas 93 are “coastal wetlands (area MAJOR MANAGEMENT ISSUES
93730.5 ha).
Manmade lakes and reservoirs created by The wetlands in Kerala are currently subjected to
constructing dams across various rivers in the acute pressure owing to rapid developmental
Western Ghats contribute to a sizeable proportion of activities and indiscriminate utilization of land and
artificial wetlands of the State. There are many other water. Though there were no quantitative estimates
water resources such as ponds and tanks which is one on the rate of destruction of wetlands in Kerala, the
of the specialties in Kerala. Each Panchayat/Urban qualitative degradation of the ecosystem is, more or
local body has number of public and private ponds less, well understood. The major issues facing the
and tanks. wetlands of Kerala are mainly related to pollution,
eutrophication, encroachment, reclamation, mining
Table 1: Classification Scheme for Wetlands of and biodiversity loss.
Kerala (CED, 2003)
Impacts on Population, Economy, Ecosystem
Wetland classes Wetland types Diminution of bioresources
Inland Wetland Fresh water lakes
Fresh water swamps Many developmental activities like construction of
Reservoirs huge buildings, roads, railways and other
Large Ponds infrastructure and town ship development has largely
Coastal Wetlands Estuaries/ Backwaters destroyed our biodiversity in the wetland areas .
Mangrove Forests
Destructive fishing such as dynamiting, poisoning,
Kol, Kuttanad and Pokkali
wanton destruction of spawners, habitat alternation
wetland Systems
Coastal Swamps
for hydroelectric projects, etc., construction of
Mud flat barrages, bunds, anicuts, dams, etc., also result in
Aquaculture Pond impairment of natural habitats of some of these
Islets/Thuruthu species.
The effects of industrial pollution are clearly
seen in the form of depletion of biota, especially
Table 2: Area under wetlands of Kerala (Nair et al, benthic organisms, fish mortality and presence of
2001) high ammonia in water. The large doses of heavy
metals in the estuarine waters are biologically non-
Wetlands Area(ha) %Area No. of degradable and remain in the food chain of plants
units and animals. The destructive process leads to
Inland wetlands considerable reduction in the density of
Natural 2180.00 1.70 11 bivalves/gastropods and isopods in the backwaters
Man-made 32019.57 25.03 53 with time. Weed menace leads to blockage of
Total 34199.57 26.73 64 recreational and communication facilities in a
Coastal Wetlands wetland. Dead plants settle to the bottom resulting in
Natural 85671.50 66.97 86 shoaling of the water body. As a result of
Man- made 8059.00 06.30 07 biodegradation of plant debris, anoxic conditions
Total 93730.50 73.27 93 develop, which is deleterious to aquatic life. Only
Grand Total 127930.07 100 157
those fish species, which can withstand below par
water quality conditions, can survive and
Wetlands of international/national importance in commercially important fishes disappear. Fish
Kerala: population is alarmingly reduced in coconut husk
retting areas (Bijoy, 2004). The fisheries sector is
Vembanad-kol, Ashtamudi and Samsthamkotta, are facing pressure from excess fishing fleet, habitat
the three designated Ramsar sites of Kerala. In degradation, over fishing and juvenile fishery.
addition to this, two more wetlands - Kottuli in Overexploitation had led to massive changes in the
Kozhikode District and Kadalundi in Kozhikode and species composition of the catch and the
Malappuram Districts - have been identified by the disappearance of some important species.
Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of Consequent on the reduction in the expanse of
India, under National Wetland Conservation backwaters, most of the 45000 active fisherman
Programme. The Ministry, in 2004, had approved a

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using 38000 fishing artisanals (28000 are the fishermen to capture Elasmobranches till about
unauthorized) are now concentrating their fishing 60 years ago. Regular mass migrant species like
effort in the remaining open backwaters for their Teals from Siberia has considerably reduced in their
livelihood. Fish production per ha in the back waters numbers.
south of Thanneermukkom bund was found to be However, a comprehensive study on the species
only 7 per cent of that available per hectare from the disappeared from the wetlands of Kerala is lacking.
open backwater. This has reflected in the socio-
economic condition of the rural fishfolks. Food toxicity

Species loss Certain micro-organisms are capable of converting

inorganic mercury into more toxic mono-methyl and
Aquatic ecosystems and wetlands are usually looked di-methyl mercury. Mono-methyl mercury, the most
down upon as wastelands and are being reclaimed for toxic mercury compound, is not tightly bound to the
various developmental needs, bringing several taxa, sediments and hence could be rapidly assimilated by
which would be of great potential value in medicine living organisms. The Kochi estuary also receives
and other industrial uses, are on the verge of effluents containing mercury from Chlor-alkali plants
extinction. The encroachment, mining and and therefore needs caution. There are instances
reclamation in many locations lead to loss of related to food toxicity in many areas of the estuaries
biodiversity as well as make changes in the on consumption of fishes. Cadmium is also a highly
ecosystem functioning. Loss of wild species toxic metal, which is responsible for the Itai Itai
including endemic species is a phenomenon disease.
associated with ecosystem changes. In the The aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene,
backwaters, the stake net method of fishing removes toluene, etc., associated with oils and lubricants are
a wide array of non-target organisms, which are acute poisons to the aquatic organisms. It is found
functionally important to the aquatic environment. that hydrocarbons subjected to bioaccumulation in an
Other destructive type of fishing and pollution has organism are stable regardless of their structure and
also impact on the ecology. Excessive weed growth remain in the food chain without alteration.
and algal blooms caused by eutrophication also Chemosensory disruption, anesthesia, narcosis, cell
causes ecosystem changes. The cumulative damage, etc., are some of the effects of oils on
deposition of macrophytic biomass in bringing out a organisms.
gradual alteration in the estuarine benthic
communities due to the disturbance in the food chain. Waterborne and zoonotic diseases
The plastic wastes dumped into the system cause
blockage, water stagnation and related problems in The untreated sewage contains organic and inorganic
the system leading to biodiversity loss. pollutants and pathogenic micro-organisms of
Mangroves are the most affected ones through various water-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera
out the coastal reaches of Kerala from south to north. and dysentery. There are numerous latrines along the
There were reports from Kerala about the occurrence banks of the estuary, mostly of single leach-pit type,
of mangrove species like Bruguiera eriopetala, B. causing direct feacal contamination. Water borne
malabarica, B. parviflora and Ceriops tagal in the diseases, gastro-enteritis in particular, is widespread
past. (Drury, 1864; Hooker, 1879-1885; Gamble, in most habitations of wetland region, which
1919; Rama Rao, 1914; Chand Basha, 1992). But becomes acute during monsoon months. The
the recent investigation by Anupama and Sivadasan domestic sewages that contain oxygen-demanding
(2004) could not able trace these species in Kerala. wastes, infecting wastes, infectious agents, organic
Destruction of the mangrove habitat has wiped out chemicals and inorganic minerals, affect the water
several species including salt-water crocodile quality of wetland system.
(Crocodylus porosus) from Kerala. The changes in landscape – blockage of
The loss of biodiversity especially the loss of wetlands, waste accumulation in the wetland areas
mangroves has indirectly affected the fish diversity are reasons for the resent emergence of many
as well as avifaunal diversity especially the zoonotic diseases in the State.
migratory fauna. This was evident in many of the
studies conducted in the State recently. The Obstruction to navigation
construction of the Thanneermukkom barrier and the
subsequent obstruction of the migratory pathways is The encroachment, mining and reclamation has also
said to be one of the major reasons for the lead to the decrease in the depth of water courses in
disappearance of the largest fresh water prawn, many stretches which has badly affected the water
Macrobrachium from the Vembanad backwaters. transport in many places Excessive weed growth due
The entire wetland system in Kerala has turned to be to eutrophication leads to high rate of siltation
an endangered one due to shrinkage, pollution and resulting in shallowing of a wetland. Growth of
over exploitation. Specialized gears were operated by rooted weeds in shallow water results in the

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shrinkage of water spread area and ultimately drainage capacity of channels. As a result, flash
transforms it to dry earth. It is a common sight and floods are common in low-lying areas even during
experience in backwaters that during rainy season, very early phases of monsoon. On the other hand, the
'rafts of water hyacinth' float in water and obstruct uncontrolled water runoff and reduced ground water
navigation. Even though, the problems created by recharging is leading to severe drought conditions in
water hyacinth are many, it is to be noted that they the summer season.
have the ability to absorb toxic substances (especially
heavy metals) from the water body. Aesthetic value depletion
The clogging of the water channels due to the
siltation and sedimentation of many stretches of Due to encroachment, reclamation and waste
wetlands in the State and lake area has been dumping activities, the aesthetic value of many
preventing the smooth functioning of water transport wetland regions are highly affected. Vellayani kayal
system. The reduction in water transport system has of Thiruvananthapuram is a good example for this.
led to increased pressure on the road transport The eutrophication and pollution problems in the
especially in the Kuttanad and its adjacent areas wetlands of Kerala also have much aesthetic impacts,
which has been exerting much pressure on the especially affecting the tourism sector.
environment.
CONCLUSION
Decrease in agriculture production and
productivity Degradation of wetlands poses an increasing problem
due to irreversible loss of important ecological and
Agricultural land has considerably reduced during economic values. Role of biodiversity in supporting
the last three decades mainly because of the the wetland system and its resilience are not well
conversion and reclamation of the low lands and known; however, the values offered by many
other wetland areas for construction and other wetland systems to human society are extremely
purposes. This has also amount to reduction in food important. Although difficult to estimate, the total
production. The productivity of agricultural land is life support function of wetlands may be particularly
also reduced due to erosion and loss of soil fertility significant, as wetland comprises a diverse range of
due to pollution. The reduction in agriculture has marine, coastal, estuarine and freshwater habitats.
automatically affected the economic condition of the In Kerala, wetlands are under more extreme
people of the area, especially, the farmers and farm pressure compared to any other State, which is
workers. The Kuttanad, Kole, Pokkali and Kaipad attributed to relatively very high population density.
areas are the most affected ones due to this. Studies carried out in recent year’s point out the
undesirable changes taking place in the geological,
Scarcity of potable water physical, chemical and biological environment of the
wetlands of Kerala. Partitioning by bunds,
Potable water scarcity especially during the summer reclamation and consequent shrinkage have been
months is a major issue in many parts of Kerala. implicated as major reasons for the destruction of
Major reasons for this are pollution and subsequent habitat and dwindling of resources
eutrophication in wetland areas and salinity intrusion. With the rising population, pressure on land for
The excessive growth of weeds as a result of agriculture, aquaculture, urban expansion etc., too
eutrophication has created the situation of utilization has increased. As a result of denuding, polluting,
of excess quantity of dissolved oxygen in the water. draining, filling etc., these ecologically vital areas all
This has affected the water quality very badly in over the globe have been under severe threat.
many places. Reduction in the ground water recharge Threats to wetlands may be man made, natural
and depletion of ground water resources is one of the or both. Direct human interventions like reclamation
major impacts of wetland conversion and for agriculture, urban expansion, housing
reclamation. The extent of ground water pollution is development etc., totally obliterate wetlands. Mining
also very high in most of the wetland areas, because of wetland, construction of dams and check dams for
of the release of the toxic chemicals from the flood control, discharge of sewage, pesticide and
industries, urban solid wastes, hospital and slaughter weedicide residues degrade the wetland to a large
house wastes, etc., are the main causes. extent. Indirect threats include increased siltation due
to unscientific land use practices in the catchment
Flood and drought area, mining, oil exploration etc. Added to these are
the natural causes like eutrophication, erosion, storm
The reclamation and conversion in many places has damage, drought, biotic interferences other than
been leading to excess flooding of the area during anthropogenic etc. All these lead to the destruction
monsoon. Weeds impede run off causing anoxic of wetlands, partly or totally.
conditions in the wetland. Choking of main drainage The existing body of laws (within the federal
channels has augmented siltation, thereby affecting structure of the Government of India) applicable to

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 wetlands can be classified into four categories, viz., levels and local vigilantism with the involvement of
central laws, state laws, municipal laws as well as Local Governments, and NGOs may help in the
customary laws (sanctioning wise use or effective implementation of the Environmental
management of wetlands). Under the Wildlife Management Plan (EMP). For such reasons, a whole
Protection Act (WPA) and other central acts, like the series of measures, concerning land-use in tourist
Indian Forest Act, wetlands are not even defined as a areas should be launched to remedy damages.
separate category of ecologically important areas, but
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