Saline intrusion kills Kole fields that provide 40% of Kerala’s rice requirement
Enamavu-Idianchira-Munayam regulators, built to resist saline intrusion, have been defunct for long. Temporary mud bunds, built every year at a cost of around ₹60 lakh, too have not been effective. Farmers demand urgent reconstruction of regulators using modern technology.
Saline intrusion, due to leakage in the regulators, is threatening the survival of Kole fields that spreads over 13,612 hectares in Thrissur and Malappuram districts. The fields, which lie 0.5 to 2.5 m below the sea level, provide 40% of Kerala’s rice requirement.
Enamavu Lock, a regulator at the estuarine mouth, meant to serve as a barrier against salt water intrusion into the vast stretch of Kole fields, was built in 1957 with the most advanced technologies available then. Two other regulators, Idianchira and Munayam, too were commissioned in 1998 for the same purpose.
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