Kerala: With land shrinking, Koralayi islanders looking at unsure future

Express News Service

KANNUR: As the solar shone vibrant after two weeks of steady rain, the residents of Koralayi island heaved a collective sigh of reduction. This 12 months too the rain has washed away some parts of the land into the Valapattanam river.

“Every year, as rain comes pouring down, we lose a considerable stretch of land. The most surprising thing is the shocking indifference of the authorities concerned regarding the erosion, as we have lost around 75 acres since 2007,” stated TV Asainar, former Irikkur block panchayat vice-president, who lives on the island.

He stated at any time when the media stories on the matter, some increased officers from the federal government would go to the island — situated in Mayyil panchayat — and make some bulletins earlier than the hapless folks.

“But nothing materialises and rain eats up the land the next monsoon season too. Some 15 years ago, Koralayi island had an area of around 275 acres, which has now been reduced to around 200 acres. The rate of land loss should have opened the eyes of the administrators but, unfortunately, nobody has taken any step to resolve the issue,” Asainar identified.

He stated that 160 households dwell on the island with a inhabitants of round 1,000, of which 45% folks belong to the scheduled castes whereas the others are Muslims. “The islands of Pamburuthi and Theralayi also had similar issues. The authorities solved the problem by building granite walls to stop erosion. But they say it is impractical in Koralayi. Even the river management fund, which could be used for the island, is not being used sufficiently,” he alleged.

However, Mayyil panchayat president KK Rishna stated the panchayat has been spending sufficient cash to resolve the difficulty.

“We started an initiative last year, by spending Rs 20 lakh from the asset development fund of former Taliparamba MLA James Mathew. Coconut tree trunks are being placed to build an experimental wall around 200 metres of the island. So far, no land erosion or slips have been reported from the area. We will wait for some more time, and if the experiment proves successful, it will be implemented all around the island,” she stated.

At the identical time, C Mohanan, a neighborhood resident, stated folks have began leaving the island. “We have face problems with getting permits from the panchayat as the land available is shrinking with each spell of rain. Construction can be done only 100 metres away from the riverbank. Even if start construction by keeping the stipulated distance, the shrinking of the land would create problems,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Taliparamba Tahsildar P Sajeevan stated the issues raised by the folks of Koralayi are real. “We visited the island a few days ago. Steps are being taken to extend the coconut trunk project to protect the land,” he stated

KANNUR: As the solar shone vibrant after two weeks of steady rain, the residents of Koralayi island heaved a collective sigh of reduction. This 12 months too the rain has washed away some parts of the land into the Valapattanam river.

“Every year, as rain comes pouring down, we lose a considerable stretch of land. The most surprising thing is the shocking indifference of the authorities concerned regarding the erosion, as we have lost around 75 acres since 2007,” stated TV Asainar, former Irikkur block panchayat vice-president, who lives on the island.

He stated at any time when the media stories on the matter, some increased officers from the federal government would go to the island — situated in Mayyil panchayat — and make some bulletins earlier than the hapless folks.

“But nothing materialises and rain eats up the land the next monsoon season too. Some 15 years ago, Koralayi island had an area of around 275 acres, which has now been reduced to around 200 acres. The rate of land loss should have opened the eyes of the administrators but, unfortunately, nobody has taken any step to resolve the issue,” Asainar identified.

He stated that 160 households dwell on the island with a inhabitants of round 1,000, of which 45% folks belong to the scheduled castes whereas the others are Muslims. “The islands of Pamburuthi and Theralayi also had similar issues. The authorities solved the problem by building granite walls to stop erosion. But they say it is impractical in Koralayi. Even the river management fund, which could be used for the island, is not being used sufficiently,” he alleged.

However, Mayyil panchayat president KK Rishna stated the panchayat has been spending sufficient cash to resolve the difficulty.

“We started an initiative last year, by spending Rs 20 lakh from the asset development fund of former Taliparamba MLA James Mathew. Coconut tree trunks are being placed to build an experimental wall around 200 metres of the island. So far, no land erosion or slips have been reported from the area. We will wait for some more time, and if the experiment proves successful, it will be implemented all around the island,” she stated.

At the identical time, C Mohanan, a neighborhood resident, stated folks have began leaving the island. “We have face problems with getting permits from the panchayat as the land available is shrinking with each spell of rain. Construction can be done only 100 metres away from the riverbank. Even if start construction by keeping the stipulated distance, the shrinking of the land would create problems,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Taliparamba Tahsildar P Sajeevan stated the issues raised by the folks of Koralayi are real. “We visited the island a few days ago. Steps are being taken to extend the coconut trunk project to protect the land,” he stated