Mud banks dot more reaches of Pampa

Mud banks have spread to more reaches of the Pampa, more visibly along Aranmula, which many say are alarming marks of degradation of the riverine ecosystem. Environmentalists and experts in earth science express concern over the formation of new mud banks. At Sathrakkadavu, the finishing point of the Aranmula boat race, these affect the free movement of boats ferrying people. The mud banks midstreams are feared to hamper the conduct of the annual regatta. The Water Resources Department has been removing the mud banks at Aranmula using earthmovers for several years, which now ensures the conduct of the regatta during Onam. Thomas P. Thomas, environmentalist and botany professor, and D. Padmalal, senior scientist with the Centre for Earth Science Studies, say indiscriminate sand-mining from the river over the past several years has led to the formation of mud banks. The riverbed has depleted with the removal of sand and this has lowered the water table, causing a severe drinking water scarcity even on the riverbanks and an ecological imbalance, they say. Even the bridges across the river face the threat of collapse with large-scale erosion of sand from their foundations.

The Hindu, 9th February, 2009