A river crying for urgent attention

Illegal sand-mining and skewed land use patterns are playing havoc with Vamanapuram river which provides drinking water to large areas in the district. The indiscriminate extraction of sand has depleted the water level in the river, well ahead of the summer. Removal of pebbles and large stones from the upstream areas of the river compounds the problem.

Sand-mining has led to the formation of deep pits in the river bed, posing a threat to people using the river. Large parts of the riverbanks are caving in and erosion threatens many other areas. Heavy sand-mining has been reported from the Kallar, Vithura and Nanniyode areas in the Nedumangad taluk and Vanchiyoor in Chirayinkeezh.

(The Hindu, 27^th February, 2007)