Sengupta, M. and Dalwani, R. (Editors). 2008 Proceedings of Taal2007: The 12th World Lake Conference: 1158-1163

Strengthening Communities and Institutions for Sustainable Management of Backwaters,

Priyadarsanan Dharma Rajan1*, Seema Purushothaman1, Siddhartha Krishnan1, Kiran, M.C. 1, Deepak, D.2 and Jojo. T.D. 2 1Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) 659, 5th A main, Hebbal, Bangalore - 560 024, India. 2Community Environmental Resource Centre (CERC) Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Ammankovil Street, Mullackal, Alappuzha, Kerala, India. *Corresponding author: Email : [email protected].

ABSTRACT

The Vembanad wetland complex is the largest tropical wetland ecosystem on the southwest coast of India. It is a designated Ramsar site, a wetland of global importance for its biodiversity values. It is also an important resource area for local livelihoods dependent on fishing and allied industries, an important tourist destination and supports a highly productive agricultural system including the ‘rice bowl of Kerala’. All the major livelihood activities of Alappuzha are water-based and depend largely on Vembanad lake. The lake is used for fishing, mining sand and lime shell deposits, harvesting live clams, and tourism related activities. Surrounding land mass is used for rice cultivation, plantation crops, housing, , industries etc. All these ‘water based enterprises’ depend upon environmental integrity of the Vembanad Lake and the surroundings. The environmental conditions of the lake is in a steady decline due to severe anthropogenic pressures and all these activities are to various degrees in decline because of socio-economic and ecological changes happening in the region. The commercial nature of many of these activities leads to uncontrolled resource use which poses grave threats to the ecosystem. Ashoka trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), is trying to address some of these isseus through its Community Environmental Resource centre (CERC), being established at Alappuzha, by bringing together local communities and institutions to strengthen wetland management in the Vembanad Backwaters. The more immediate objectives of CERC are to (a) strengthen capacities in governance and wise use of wetland biodiversity, (b) raise awareness of the values of biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services and (c) to enable a backwater information facility at the site. The project aims to build multi sectoral and multi stakeholder partnerships at the local level, influence decision making, increase coordination between stakeholders and strengthen their capacity to address the various issues related to Vembanad Backwaters.

Keywords: Wetland management, capacity building, awareness creation, wetland information system, stakeholder partnership, policy interventions.

Vembanad wetland is the largest humid tropical, attukorali an endangered fish species listed in IUCN wetland ecosystem of the south west coast of India. It red-data book is reported only from the is a complex system of backwaters, marshes, lagoons, Island in Vembanad Lake. Based on the rich mangrove forests, reclaimed land and an intricate biodiversity and socio-economic importance, network of natural and manmade canals. Table 1 Vembanad Lake was declared as a Ramsar site, a provides some basic information about the system. wetland of international importance in November Four canals—Thottappally, Andhakaranazhi, 2002.1 Vembanad Lake, along with adjacent kol lands, and Azhikode—connect the lake to the sea. Rainfall is is the largest Ramsar site in India and supports the third obtained during two distinct rainy seasons, southwest largest wintering waterfowl population of the country. monsoon (June – August) and northeast monsoon Also it is one of the 15 mangrove areas that have been (September – November). The lake is fed by six rivers identified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests flowing from the Western Ghats: Achenkovil, Pampa, (MoEF) for intensive conservation and management. Meenachil, Manimala, Muvattupazha, and Periyar. The wetland is a lifeline for the villages situated on its banks. The site is ecologically significant owing to vanishing mangrove patches and as an important site for resident and migratory waterfowl. Horadandia

Table 1: Basic information on Vembanad region. The lake is used for fishing, mining sand and lime shell deposits, harvesting live clams, and tourism related Location Latitude : 9º 28´and 10º10´N activities. Surrounding land mass is used for rice Longitude: 76º 13´ and 76º cultivation, plantation crops, housing, tourist resorts, 31´ E industries etc. All these ‘water based enterprises’ 0 Mean annual temperature 24.2 C depend upon environmental integrity of the Vembanad Mean annual rainfall 3000 mm Lake and the surroundings. The environmental conditions of the lake is in a steady decline due to No. of major rivers 6 draining into lake system severe anthropogenic pressures and all these activities Length of the lake 96 km are to various degrees in decline because of socio- economic and ecological changes happening in the Area of the Lake (south 13224 ha of region. The commercial nature of many of these bund) activities leads to uncontrolled resource use which Area of Lake (North of 23500 ha poses grave threats to the ecosystem. ) Population ~16,00,000

The lake has a total surface area of ~36,500 ha spread across three central districts of Kerala, viz, Eranakulam in the north, in the east and Alappuzha in the south. It is the lifeline of this area— nearly 1.6 million people live on the banks of the lake in 38 panchayaths spread across three districts (see Figure 1) apart from 3 municipalities and Cochin Corporation. A large population living in the drainage basin is directly or indirectly dependent upon this wetland ecosystem for their livelihood. Major livelihood activities dependent on the lake are agriculture, fishing, tourism, inland navigation, coir retting, lime shell collection, shrimp/ crab farming, sand mining, and fodder collection for livestock. A transitional ecotone between sea and land, Vembanad Lake is a highly productive environment, providing feeding, spawning and rearing areas for a very large proportion of commercial fish and shellfish. It supports rich fishery resources (e.g. variety of finfish, shellfish, several species of marine fishes, and shrimps) and acts as a sink and transformer for the agricultural and municipal wastes discharged into it. . The lake system also supports a highly productive agricultural system. —the ‘rice bowl of Kerala’—spread over 1,100km2, which is a reclaimed portion of the lake. Figure 1: Map of the Vembanad wetland ecological The lake helps to contain flood waters and saves system. thickly populated areas from submersion, recharges coastal aquifers, filters and flushes out pollutants, Pollution: facilitates inland navigation and wetland tourism. The system supports unique cultural traditions, water Water pollution from a multitude of sources is the most centered social institutions and lifestyles. important reason deteriorating the quality of the lake system. Industrial and agro-chemical residues, Current Patterns of Resource Use and Threats municipal sewage, domestic wastes, waste discharge from house boats and resorts and coir retting to open All the major livelihood activities of Alappuzha are water bodies (Table 2) are the major sources of water-based and depend largely on Vembanad lake. pollution. Water quality deterioration is apparent in high concentration of nutrients, heavy metal

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contamination in the estuary mouth, high incidence of reduced to 0.6 km³ from 2.4 km³, a decline of 75 waterborne diseases and reduction in fish diversity and percent (James et al., 1997). fish catch (KWBS 1989). Physical Barriers: Table 2. Major pollutants of Vembanad Lake The Thanneermukkom barrier was constructed in 1976 Inorganic (partially completed) to prevent saline water intrusion • Effluents from nearby factories into paddy fields during the dry season, and thus • Emissions and oil leakage from the engines of bolster paddy cultivation. The barrier is regulated by a house boats committee headed by the District Collector and • Plastic and other inorganic waste dumped remains closed from mid November to mid March. The from the house boats closing of the barrier stops the tidal effects, stops the flow of water to the south of the barrier, and thus • Fertilizers and pesticide run-off from the hinders natural flushing out of contaminants. The paddy fields of Kuttanad accumulation of agro-chemical effluents from the • Chemical dyes used in the coir industry southern farmlands and sewage from adjacent areas • Chemical pollution from up-stream tea leads to increased levels of water pollution. The plantations through the rivers increase in the concentration of pollutants causes health Organic problems. Reduced flow leads to siltation; thereby • Sewage emptied into the canals from the reducing the depth of the lake. As a result, the water nearby towns and habitations. carrying capacity of the lake is reduced. After the • Sewage and other organic waste from house construction of the barrier, there have been increased boats conflicts between fishermen and farmers. The • Invasive (Eichhornia crassipes, Salvinia population of fish and shrimps has suffered due to molesta etc.) and other aquatic weeds (water deteriorating water quality and as a result their lillies & grasses)\ numbers have dwindled. Thottappally spillway, completed in 1955, was Coir is the major industry in Alleppey District. Most of built to divert floodwaters from the rivers away from the retting of the coconut husk to extract fiber is now Vembanad Lake and into the sea. The still level of the done inside the tanks with the effluent being finally regulator is 1.82m below mean sea level and the disposed into the lakes. Various processes involved in maximum flood level is 1.52m above mean sea level. coir making like dyeing, bleaching, sludge disposal etc The objective of regulating the floodwaters was to are deteriorating the quality of lakes. A common enable wet season paddy cropping. However, the effluent treatment plant being proposed by the Govt. capacity of the scheme is insufficient, partly because and Coir Board may only aggravate the problem as it the channel leading to the spillway is not wide enough. will centralize the pollution. Moreover, every year the mouth of the spillway silts up In addition to those listed above, numerous seafood and has to be dredged at the onset of the monsoon to exporting units functioning in the industrial area of release the flood waters (Department of Public works, Aroor dump their effluents into the Vembanad Lake. 1974).

Illegal Conversion Agriculture:

Illegal Conversion and encroachment of the lake is The main economic activity in this wetland is paddy very visible in areas where tourism has developed. cultivation. Labour scarcity, inadequate transportation Conversion for expanding agriculture has slowed down facility, high weed growth and high cost of control, but reclamation by dumping coconut husk, coir pith weak outer bunds on polders and cost of maintenance, and related materials continues on a large scale in declining soil fertility, non-availability of quality seeds many areas. These activities have resulted in the are the major problems in this sector. To increase the horizontal and vertical shrinkage of the water body. productivity, farmers depend on heavy use of chemical Thousands of hectares of the waterbody had been fertilizers and pesticides, which in turn pollutes the converted to land over past 150 years. According to water and environment. It is argued that all these one study (Gopalan et al., 1983), 23000 ha of the lake factors have made agriculture an expensive affair with had reclaimed between 1834 and 1984, mainly for no assured returns. As a result, paddy fields are slowly agriculture and aquaculture. The depth of the lagoon being converted to cash crops like coconut plantations, has reduced by 40-50 percent in all zones and as a or turned into housing plots or other commercial result the drainage capacity of the lake has been enterprises. Since most paddy fields are cultivated only

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for one or two crops per year, they act as an extension/ Mining and Geology, 2005). Another major activity in part of wetland system for the remaining period. The the lake is the collection of black clam shells. The conversion of paddy fields to plantations as well as black clam has traditionally been harvested for conversion to other non-farm activities has serious extracting meat. Incidence of pathogenic bacteria in implications for water recharge. Other impacts include black clam meat reduced the demand for the meat proliferation of invasive floating aquatic weeds like considerably in recent years. However, there is a great Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth) and Salvinia demand from various industries for the shells and the molesta (giant salvinia, kariba weed) in the region. revenue from the sale of shells has increased During punja (summer) sowing season, large amount considerably. About 3000-5000 people depend on clam of weeds are flushed out into the lake from the paddy harvesting for livelihood and are organized under fields causing impediments to transportation and different co-operative societies. At least 10 tonnes of fishing activities. The major ecological consequences black clam shells are collected manually by local of the rice centric development in Kuttanad had been people. This has led to over harvesting by harmful the physical loss of a sizeable area of backwaters due methods like bottom trawling as well as harvesting of to reclamation, fall in soil fertility with the exclusion of even baby clams. There is no mechanism to monitor annual deposit of silt in the padashekharams (paddy the production and harvest of clam resources. Better fields), increased incidence of pest and diseases markets and value addition can bring in better incomes necessitating use of large quantities of pesticides, and for clam collectors. Participatory resource monitoring extinction of mangroves under estuarine systems that and value addition of clam shell meat could be made used to function as favored nursery areas of fishery possible by adequate capacity building and resources. strengthening of the co-operative societies. Manual lime shell mining is facing competition Fisheries: from mechanized dredging of the lake floor for lime shell deposits by Travancore Cements Ltd. As the The inland fisheries sector of Vembanad is ridden with deposits are getting exhausted and habitats destroyed, it several problems. The most appalling ecological is becoming increasingly difficult for communities outcome of the physical interventions has been the depending on this resource. Although several studies disruption of the physical and biological continuity of point to the threat from mechanized dredging and major part the lake with the coastal waters, resulting in several public agitations were organized against rapid decline in the fish yield and diversity. Over the dredging, it still continues. past few decades, the number of active fisherfolk in the Tourism : region has increased substantially. Meanwhile, because of massive reclamation of lake, available fishable area Tourism industry is a recent entrant in this area but it has declined dramatically. In a bid to maintain the size has brought employment opportunities for local of the daily catch, local fishermen work overtime and communities and an important source of revenue for use more sophisticated nets and gear. Owing to over the state. Even though the growth rate of this industry fishing, the productivity of the fishing grounds have is exponential, and it has opened up a new arena of decreased dramatically. The annual landing of fish livelihood opportunities, the lack of a vision and from the Vembanad Lake is down from about 16,000 organized planning is obvious. A study conducted has tonnes a year in the late seventies to about 7,200 tonnes shown that nearly 2 percent of the local adult in recent years. (Unnithan et al, 2001). Kurup et al., population of the village on the eastern (1989) have reported reduction in the marine fish and bank of the Vembanad Lake is employed in the tourism prawns migration to the lake for breeding. Although sector. The industry has illegally encroached upon the use of fishing gear that leads to mass destruction many parts of the lake. There are efforts to convert and the premature catching of inland fish are legally agricultural fields into plots for construction due to banned, such practices continue out of livelihood scarcity of good sites adjoining the lake. Large-scale pressure. land filling is taking place in the lake, especially in Kumarakom and nearby areas of Kottayam district. Clam and Lime Shell Collection: Already several hundred houseboats sport boats are operating on the water surface. The sewage from Vast deposits of lime shell occur in Vembanad Lake resorts and houseboats are directly discharged into the covering an area of 15 km2 up to depths of 8 meters lake and exhaust from motorboats is a major source of between Pathiramanal and Vaikom. About 23 chemical pollutants. Any assessment of the carrying quarrying permits have been issued to lime shell capacity of the lake, or a proper monitoring mechanism cooperative societies and individuals for the collection for tourism activities is conspicuously absent. and sale of lime shell from Vembanad Lake (Dept of

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Reduced public access to the lake is another domain or due to knowledge gaps. Nevertheless, dimension of the expanding tourism. In many areas, existing regulations do not seem to be driven by tourist resorts have come up on the banks of the lake. knowledge and public concern. The approach of the The traditional rights associated with use of the lake proposed project towards tackling the existing shore for various livelihood or domestic purposes such ambiguity is mentioned in Annexure II. as fish-landing, temporarily storing collected lime Certain attempts to address these policy shells, boiling of clams for extracting meat, and constraints have been made by various authorities. The domestic purposes such as bathing and washing and National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) recreational activities, have been affected due to included conservation of the Vembanad Wetland fencing of the plots by new owners. Such restrictions System in the National Lake Conservation Plan on access to the lake for public use are a reason for (NLCP) in June 2003. But it still remains a non-starter, conflicts among different stakeholders. as the government is yet to prepare an action plan. The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) Conflict of Interests: declared Kumarakom Panchayath as a ‘special tourism zone’ and the has sought to Like any other water body, Vembanad Lake is a control all developmental activities in this area through common property resources whose appropriation had an ordinance (Tourism [Conservation and Preservation been guided by well-defined social norms and customs. Areas] Ordinance 2005, GoK) to ensure that there are Although the allocation and use of its resources is no adverse impacts on the fragile ecological system or dominated mainly by private interests, various forms of the topography of the region. The regulations customary rights centered on traditional uses like according to the tourism zone are applicable only to the fisheries and pokkali agriculture existed on the Kumarakom Panchayath while tourism activities are backwaters. Stakeholders of the Vembanad SES range spread across the Vembanad SES. No Government from communities adopting traditional means of Department or agency other than the Kerala State livelihood to modern industries. The activities of Tourism Department is involved in the implementation different stakeholder groups are rarely mutually of the regulations. Any such regulation without the beneficial and conflicts of various intensities exist at involvement of the local people and multiple several levels. The situation is made worse because institutions can be futile. Such half-hearted measures control of various activities rests with different and localized initiatives without involving all stake Government departments and there is little or no holders are likely to fail. coordination between these departments. Any conservation action plan will have to anticipate Need for Action: potential conflicts that could result from interventions and come up with appropriate safeguards. Also, the The region around Vembanad lake is one of the most organized nature of most activities makes it extremely thickly populated areas of Kerala and Vembanad Lake difficult to impose restrictions or take away existing is the single ecosystem only next to the Arabian Sea in privileges. terms of supporting maximum livelihood activities. Apart from this, Vembanad Lake has immense Policy and Institutional Constraints: conservation importance as it supports a large aquatic biodiversity and the most important migratory bird Given the sensitivity of the water based socio- habitat. Since livelihood activities of large number of ecological system in Vembanad region, a clear people are directly dependent on the Lake, the streamlining of activities, knowledge base and deterioration of extent and quality of the lake leads to regulations are warranted to prevent degradation. increased conflicts. Lack of coordination between Policies and institutions lack horizontal (across sectors various government departments and implementing e.g.: agriculture and tourism) and vertical (various agencies affect the Government sponsored services. levels within the same sector e.g. pollution control The exploitation and the disturbance have turned the board) consultations. Lack of mutual consultations ecosystem fragile and continuation of current resource coupled with inadequacies in governance (in terms of use patterns can be fatal to the ecosystem and capacity and execution) and communities (in terms of stakeholder interests. An Integrated Managements plan awareness and ways to deal with known issues) make a to be developed and implemented with participation perfect recipe for declining quality of the system. This from governmental and non-governmental agencies situation persists even though there is a wealth of and the local people. Such a plan should reflect the studies on different aspects of the lake (Annexure carrying capacity of lake for various activities and VIII). This is either because information generated so should optimize the sustainable use of existing natural far is not user-friendly, is not available in the public resources.

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REFERENCES: Interventions by Ashoka trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE) Gopalan, U.K., Doyil T. V., Udayavarma, P. and Krishnankutty. M., 1983. The Shrinking backwaters of Ashoka trust for Research in Ecology and Environment Kerala. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. India, 25: 131-141. (ATREE), is trying to address some of these isseus James, E. J., Anitha, A. B., Divakaran, Nambudripad K., Joseph, E. J., Nandeshwar, M. D., Nirmala, E., through its Community Environmental Resource Padmini, V., Unni, P. N., and Venugopal, M. R., 1997. centre (CERC), being established at Alappuzha, by The Vembanad-Kol wetland system and river basin bringing together local communities and institutions to management, In: Wetlands and Integrated River Basin strengthen wetland management in the Vembanad Management, UNEP/WI (Asia Pacific). Backwaters. The more immediate objectives of CERC KWBS, 1989. “Kuttanad Water Balance Study”, Draft Final are to (a) strengthen capacities in governance and wise Report, Vol. 1 Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ministry use of wetland biodiversity, (b) raise awareness of the of Foreign affairs and State of Kerala. values of biodiversity and ecosystem goods and Department of Public Works, 1971. Project Report on the services and (c) to enable a backwater information Kuttanad Development Scheme. Superintendent of Government Press, Government of Kerala, Trivandrum, facility at the site. The project aims to build multi Kerala. sectoral and multi stakeholder partnerships at the local Unnithan V.K., N. S. Bijoy, and C.K. Vava. 2001. Ecology level, influence decision making, increase coordination and fisheries investigations in Vembanad Lake. between stakeholders and strengthen their capacity to CICFRI Bull. No. 107. Central Inland Capture address the various issues related to Vembanad Fisheries Institute, Barrackpore, West Bengal. pp 38 Backwaters. Kurup B. M., M. J. Sebastian, T. M. Sankaran and P. The impact of the project rests in effective Rabindranath. 1989. Exploited fishery resources of the networking aimed at enhanced capacities and clear Vembanad Lake. Final report submitted to the Indo- rights. This will be manifested through enlightened and Dutch Co-operation Programme, pp 144 Department of Mining and Geology, 2005. skilled communities, informed stakeholders and www.kerala.gov.in/ dept_mining/achivements.htm empowered governance in selected areas of Ramsar Convention Secretariat. 2004 a. The Ramsar intervention. Cross-section of these target groups as Convention on Wetlands Resolution VIII.31 on The well as a sample of neighboring areas can be used for Convention's CEPA programme. an impact assessment at the close of the project. The http://www.ramsar.org/res/key_res_viii_31_e.htm institutional mechanisms elicited by the project, with Ramsar Convention Secretariat. 2004b. Ramsar handbooks participation from civil society, with light of the policy, for the wise use of wetlands.Hand book 6: The knowledge and socio cultural environment will initiate Convention's Programme on communication, education and accelerate a long-cherished journey, demonstrating and public awareness (CEPA) 2003-2008 2nd Edition Ramsar Convention Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland the collective responsibility of the society towards http://indaba.iucn.org/ramsarfilms/lib_handbook_e06.p preserving a unique and valuable heritage. df Acknowledgments: to the donours who wish to be anonymous due to noble reasons for their generous support.

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