Protection of Public Lands and River Banks

The Key to Preventing Disasters

1

Dr. Nivedita P. Haran, IAS (Retd) [email protected]

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 2 Why Public Lands Need Protection

 Public lands carry some of the worst-maintained records, tampered with and at times destroyed  Public lands best source of buying favours and graft  Seldom protests if parks, road shoulders, woods, wastelands, reclaimed lands are taken away; few even notice; after all everyone’s land is nobody’s land  Same with water bodies: ponds, tanks, river banks, coast -line, especially in urban areas  Unscientific use of such lands and filling up of water bodies cause of urban flood: e.g. Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata; landslides, e.g. Haridwar  Need to set up State Land Bank to:  inventorise all public lands  remove encroachments, generate public interest groups ; protect ‘public interest’  Use these lands for genuine public purpose

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 3 State Land Bank

 Set up in 2007-08 by a Govt. Order  Revenue staff given training and authenticated details in prescribed proforma collected from each Village Officer, Tahsildar, District Collector  The data entered centrally in the KSLB computer centre in the o/o the Land Revenue Commissioner  Website launched www.kslb.kerala.gov.in  Each parcel of land surveyed and geo-referenced spatial map generated  Stones (jhendas) to demarcate placed around these lands  A Special Land Protection Team created from retired Army jawans and trained who conduct beats to inspect each parcel at least once a fortnight  Verification register maintained in neighbouring house, placing responsibility on the public

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 4 Protection of Rivers – Changing Scenario

 Commodity vs ecosystem approach: rivers a source of anthropological, sociological and economic development  Re-emphasis on ecological services of water in bio -geochemical and hydrological cycles  Understanding the scope of possible trade off  Watershed approach : sediment yield and water yield  Anthropocentric approach- an organic entity recognising river as an interface between humans and nature Convergence of all stake holders is the primary necessity

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) Kerala: Relief and Drainage Maps 5

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 6 River Management – Methodology & Goal

 Goal: Restore and maintain river health/ ecosystem services  Steps Catchment mapping River bank mapping Sediment and drainage discharge Water quality Water and sediment assessment and balance  Out put River management plan

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 7

 Rivers play a very important role in promoting the Kerala model of development with emphasis on PRIs and decentralization; maintaining river ecosystem is of prime necessity  Rivers are over-exploited  Water demand increased manifold with economic growth  River bed mining for granite and sand far in excess of sediment generation  Flood plain materials have been removed  Water quality of lower and middle lower courses of rivers have deteriorated significantly  Human intervention in all segments of rivers have deteriorated river ecology  Rivers a danger and source of accidents

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 8

Multiple bank erosion with mining features

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 9 What was New in This Initiative?

Task –I: Mapping river bank

Objectives: To prepare an inventory of the river bank falling in the midland & lowland segments Methodology : Field mapping using cadastral scale map and high resolution image Data source: Field mapping in cadastral scale & High Resolution Images Output: i) Large scale map showing status of river bank-land use feature, man- made feature and physical feature ii) Attribute Data and iii) Analysis & Report Task –II: Sand auditing Objective: Assessment of availability of sand, Assessment of minable quantity, Setting up an auditing mechanism at regular interval as required by Law

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) Salient and Innovative Features of the Programme 10

 A broad-based programme with involvement of Government Departments, S&T institutes, Engineering Colleges, University Departments and NGOs, the youth coordinated by Policy-makers  Opens the scope of involving Panchayats and local self Government Institutions in river rejuvenation and management, hitherto not attempted  Human scale mapping and gathering of largest possible data base of multiple usability

 Blending of traditional mapping and latest mapping technology (RS, GIS, GPS)  RIS for transparent and informed decision-making  Low cost and easily replicable; can be dovetailed with existing govt programmes  Benefits are visible in short time and long-term, covering individual and societal interest  Contributes to broad-based sustainability (UNEP Charter )

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 11

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) Estimation of sediment deposit: Ithikkara 12

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) Consolidation of Results: Sediment deposits

13 Sl.No Panchayat(s) No. of Volume of Volume of sand kadavu sand for the above summer water Panchayats level for the (m 3) Panchayats (m 3)

1 7 26085.75 1423.42

2 Elamadu 5 4214.98 2107.49 3 Velinalloor 10 16007.27 -

4 Velinalloor-Pallikkal 2 31680.97 9833.25

5 Velinalloor - 1 30187.31 27972.48 6 Pooyapally- 3 13355.92 - Kalluvathukkal 7 Adichanalloor- 2 1194.09 -

Nivedita Haran,Chathannoor IAS (Retd) Total 30 122726.3 41336.64 14 Proper allocation and cooperation Social activity Livelihood security

Proper use River & Control Preservation Restoration Water Ecosystem cycle Surface water Habitat Ground water Breeding place Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd) 15

Thank you !

Nivedita Haran, IAS (Retd)