Encroachments on waterbodies wreak havoc in Kanniyakumari

Water has entered hundreds of acres of paddy fields, groves

Encroachments on waterbodies, failure on the part of the authorities to periodically desilt rivers and irrigation tanks and conversion of wetlands into housing plots have wreaked havoc in Kanniyakumari district, particularly in the northern region.

Water has entered hundreds of acres of paddy fields, coconut and banana groves and submerged the crops. Water flowing through the main thoroughfare has eroded the roads and cut off villages from one another. Public transport is not being operated beyond Erachakulam, a village in the region.

“There are 385 tanks that function as shock absorbers by collecting the heavy water flowing from the nearby hills and forest areas. They are either encroached or not maintained,” said P. Chenbagasekaran Pillai, a farmer from Thuvarangadu said.