2022-03-19

The recent extended spell of rain in Kerala and associated floods and mudslides created havoc in many river beds. Cloud burst and heavy rain lashed out at high ranges of Manimala River led to serious losses to the residents of the locality. And now floods are a common phenomenon for Manimala River. These frequent floods have deposited huge amounts of sand, silt, plastic and other wastes. This will not only affect the natural flow of the river but also changes the water quality.

Cloudburst and associated flash floods at Pathanamthitta and Kottayam Districts in Kerala resulted in water level rise at Pamba, Manimala, Meenachil Rivers, etc. This has affected the river hydrology extensively and fractured many ecosystems, especially at Manimala River. After the heavy rain, the Manimala River has dried up excessively. This has negatively affected the aquatic ecosystem and riverine ecosystem. TIES has resumed its conservation activities. A team of TIES officials and research persons inspected the upstream areas of the Manimala River to collect water samples inorder to study the extent of pollution. The team also surveyed the river bank features and pollution aspects that are pertaining to the area.

Water samples were collected from 4 major sites of Manimala River, Kuruvamozhi, Koratti, Mundakayam, and Koottikkal. A total of nine samples were collected from these sites.