Kudallur, as any other village in Kerala, got a vast change during 1990’s. The most interesting thing is the village had its old families and their ancestry houses (tharavadu) in the valley of hills, adjacent to the end of paddy fields. During that time every rich family had a heap of hay (Vykkkolkoona) in front of their houses. It was considered as the sign of wealth and prosperity. The old people say this koonas had a major role in determining the fate of marriage proposals ie. the height of the heap was a successful indicator of prosperity of a family. Simply, the amount of paddy field in possession was a cause of dignity during the time.
Now, what’s the picture here? The panoramic view of the paddy fields is affected by big two- three storied concrete houses. A large amount of fields was filled or leveled for building purpose. Construction of new roads made the situation more badly than ever. More the road constructed more house were built, on the both sides of roads.
Alas! The green blanket has been going slowly.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Nila cries
It’s raining. In the olden times a small rain would beautify the river. Now it has been raining for at least four weeks. But it failed to do anything with the river. Sand excavation made the river flow less and dry. Alas! Nobody is worried about it.
The destruction of the river started since the construction of Malampuzha dam at the beginning of the river in 1955. Then came a number of small and big water irrigation projects. This was a move during the late 80’s and early 90’s. Controlled water flow led the way to a number of modes for exploiting the river. Sand excavation became common and it was supported by major political parties as they took the excavation as a way to earn something for personal and organizational benefits. During the period of 1991-2000 sand excavation broke all barriers neglecting the protest of local environmental organizations. Media failed to give enough coverage and the authorities paid no attention to the issue. The most interesting and dangerous thing was the panchayaths (local self govt. bodies) saw the excavation as a source of income. Hundreds of lorries ran to Tamilnadu and bordering sates with the clean white sand form Nila. Trade unions formed local organizations to make the sand excavation employees authorized ones.
Now everything is out of control. Though the Hon. High Court of Kerala gave strong directions to protect the river, the state govt. did nothing. The problem still continues and the river remains like a silver thread.
The destruction of the river started since the construction of Malampuzha dam at the beginning of the river in 1955. Then came a number of small and big water irrigation projects. This was a move during the late 80’s and early 90’s. Controlled water flow led the way to a number of modes for exploiting the river. Sand excavation became common and it was supported by major political parties as they took the excavation as a way to earn something for personal and organizational benefits. During the period of 1991-2000 sand excavation broke all barriers neglecting the protest of local environmental organizations. Media failed to give enough coverage and the authorities paid no attention to the issue. The most interesting and dangerous thing was the panchayaths (local self govt. bodies) saw the excavation as a source of income. Hundreds of lorries ran to Tamilnadu and bordering sates with the clean white sand form Nila. Trade unions formed local organizations to make the sand excavation employees authorized ones.
Now everything is out of control. Though the Hon. High Court of Kerala gave strong directions to protect the river, the state govt. did nothing. The problem still continues and the river remains like a silver thread.
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