Tropical Cyclones and Flooding Woes in Kuttanad: A Clarion Call for Risk Mitigation Measures

Climate change and poor water management are leading to a situation where catastrophe is the new norm in Kerala’s low-lying regions. Aswathy and Varughese explain the gravity of the situation and the solutions at hand.

Aswathy Rachel Varughese
Varughese Mathew

The rising number of Tropical Cyclones (TC) underscores changing geo-climatic conditions in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal resulting from an uptick in the surface temperature of the sea. The recent severe cyclones, Tauktae and Yaas, which hit India early this year were a dreadful blow to the affected states already reeling under the onslaught of the pandemic. The cyclones pummelled the western and eastern coasts of the country, hitting Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Gujarat, consequently dumping an enormous volume of water in these coasts. Changing climatic conditions will make such events more frequent, especially in the low-lying regions of Kerala like the Kuttanad Wetland Ecosystem. Kuttanad spans three districts⁠—Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Pathanamthitta⁠—and has the lowest altitude in the country, lying two to three feet below sea level. Owing to its peculiar environmental endowments, the area is constantly under the threat of flooding. Frequent cyclones leave a devasting impact on the region, affecting the socio-economic activities of the people. This situation is a clarion call for risk mitigation measures to reduce the vulnerability of the ecology and economy of the region. 

Worsening Conditions in the Kuttanad Region

The average number of cyclones formed in the north Indian Ocean is usually five in a year, of which one usually originates in the Arabian Sea. In recent years, however, the Arabian Sea is observed to be a bigger cyclone-generator compared to the Bay of Bengal, with more than four cyclones in a year on average. As noted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a significant rise in the sea surface temperature can be ascribed to this trend.  The threshold value of sea surface temperature is between 26 to 27 degrees Celsius, whereas the current value is above 28 Degree Celsius (India Today, 2021).

In addition to these climatic changes in the western coast, with the onset of the southwest monsoon every year, Kuttanad witnesses regular flood crises from the four major rivers: Pampa, Achenkoil, Manimala, and Meenachil. The vulnerability of Kuttanad thus increases, with thousands evacuated from the flood-affected areas, paralysing normal life. Loss of livelihood due to the destruction of paddy fields and the loss of livestock is another serious fallout from the flooding events. The aftermath of the 2018 flood, in particular, left many homeless and deprived of livelihood. Such situations are expected to be frequent in those areas where the mean precipitation is expected to increase, making extreme rainfall events the new normal (Solomon et al. 2007). 

Apart from nonhuman factors like TCs, human factors are also responsible for the flooding woes in Kuttanad. The lack of provisions for the drainage of excess water into the Arabian Sea is a major cause for monsoon flooding. Encroachment of water bodies, unscientific construction of roads and bridges, and the uncontrolled spread of water weeds resulting in water-logging are other reasons for the growing flooding events (Swaminathan, 2007). The lack of flood control measures has serious consequences on the agrarian economy of the region. The slew of rainfall events has caused dire losses for paddy cultivators in recent times. The demand for building requisite bunds for flood regulation has not materialized yet (Rahul & Ranjith, 2020). This led to a considerable loss to farmers who were already faced with the challenge of delayed paddy procurement in the wake of the pandemic (The Hindu, 2021b). With the arrival of cyclones and the consequent rainfall this year, the irrigation department had to open the shutters of the Thottappally spillway1 for ensuring the smooth flow of water from the Kuttanad region into the Arabian Sea (The Hindu, 2021a). 

Other economic activities in the Kuttanad region like backwater tourism, fishing, and maintenance of livestock also collapse during extreme flood events, and these losses have not been accurately estimated. Moreover, the local population that is heavily dependent on such activities is now also hindered by the pandemic (Krishnanunni & Menon, 2018). The ageing population of the region is under constant fear of rising water levels, and events like floodwater entering homes can be traumatic. Recently, there has been a mass exodus of the local population seeking safer places to settle down. About two hundred families from different districts of the region have already evacuated permanently owing to the flooding woes (Malayala Manorama, 2021). This will have serious socioeconomic implications in the near future. 

The Need of the Hour: Heeding Calls for Action

Renovation and revamping of the existing Thottapally spillway and Thanneermukkam regulator seem to be effective ways out, and require immediate policy action. Experts have suggested concrete flood mitigation measures like constructing additional viable dams, cleaning out the sludge and sediments causing water-logging, and the construction and renovation of the outer bunds of paddy fields. The Kuttanad Package, a policy document encompassing measures to mitigate flood risk and agrarian crisis in Kuttanad, requires urgent attention. The Kuttanad Package2 policy notes that deepening the Alappuzha-Changanassery Canal and keeping a tab on human encroachments, controlling the growth of water weeds and settlement of sediments are the basic steps required to control the water-logging (Ameerudheen, 2018). Following the extreme flood events, last year, the International Research and Training Centre for Below Sea-level Farming (IRTCBSF) in Kuttanad suggested storing the excess flood water in midland and bottom paddy fields through scientific landscape and waterscape management, while continuing farming in the rest of the paddy fields. Accordingly, the excess water from the river and incessant rains could be stored in such paddy fields which can act as dams to mitigate floods (The News Minute, 2020). 

Authorities have not yet given serious thought to this suggestion and its effective implementation. Effective government intervention is quintessential to address the problem of mass evacuation from the region. Those who are socioeconomically backwards are left with no viable solution to the flooding woes and become increasingly vulnerable to the issue. Kerala, being a welfare state, should act upon this issue. Unfortunately, with the subsequent pandemic wave hitting the state and the region severely, rehabilitation in the event of flooding would prove challenging. This year is particularly crucial in these aspects. The economic and cultural value of the region is immense, making it imperative to find a permanent solution to reduce the risks of flooding through scientific approaches.

References:

  • Krishnanunni, R. and Menon, V. A. (2018). “Kuttanad after the Flood”, Economic and Political Weekly, 53(47), pp. 7–8.
  • Rahul, N and Ranjith N.P.M. (2020). “Kuttanad and Covid-19: Farmers, Floods and the Pandemic”, Economic and Political Weekly, 55(26–27), pp.7–8.
  • Solomon, S., Manning, M., Marquis, M., and Qin, D. (2007). Climate change 2007-the physical science basis: Working group I contribution to the fourth assessment report of the IPCC (Vol. 4). Cambridge University Press.
  • Swaminathan, M. (2007). Measures to mitigate agrarian distress in Alappuzha and Kuttanad wetland ecosystem. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Union Ministry of Agriculture.

About the Authors: Aswathy Rachel Varughese is a research scholar at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore. Her research interests are in developmental economics, the economics of education and environmental economics. Dr Varughese Mathew is a retired principal of BAM College, Mallapally, Kerala. He is currently a member of Technical Support Group, Biodiversity, Government of Kerala. His areas of research interests are in environment, conservation, biodiversity, anthropology and church history. They can be reached at iamaswathyvarughese@gmail.com and kandathilvarughese@gmail.com respectively.

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