Kuttanad

Kuttanad is the name of a landscape in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is located south of the Vembanadsees in Alappuzha District in the backwaters and is crossed by numerous waterways. Around 500 km ² of the total 1157 km ² of the area are located - the only region of India - below sea level. The lowest elevation of 2.20 meters below sea level point is thus also the lowest point of India. In addition, Kuttanad is considered granary of Kerala. In the fertile landscape in which nearly 2 million people, mainly rice is grown.

Environmental problems in Kuttanad

During the rainy southwest monsoon in summer the rivers and canals in Kuttanad get fresh water inflow from the Western Ghats. In contrast, earlier flowed back during the dry northeast monsoon sea water from the connected with the Arabian Sea Vembanadsee, which led to shortages in the supply of drinking water and soil salinization. As a countermeasure, a dam was built in 1975, which prevents the penetration of sea water. Although it was on offer in this way salination stop, but decreased by the flow rate of the waterways during the dry time dramatically. Watercourses are in this season to standing water, so that the pesticides used by sewage and agriculture heavily polluted water can not drain. Nevertheless, it is used by people for drinking. Since the construction of the dam is therefore a significant increase in gastrointestinal diseases and epidemics recorded. As a solution we think about catch basin for rainwater.

Negative consequences of the enormous water pollution on biodiversity in Kuttanad. A large proportion of native fish and bird species is already extinct.