‘Mangrove Man’ in Kerala fights to salvage sinking shores

‘Mangrove Man’ in Kerala fights to salvage sinking shores

On the receding shorelines of low-lying Vypin island off Kerala’s coast, T.P. Murukesan fixes his eyes on the white paint peeling off the damp walls of his raised home and recounts the most recent floods.

“The floods are occurring more frequently and lasting longer,” he said. The last flood was chest-high for his young grandson. “Every flood brings waters this high, we just deal with it,” he says.

Sea level rise and severe tidal floods have forced many families in Mr. Murukesan’s neighbourhood to relocate to higher grounds over the years. But the retired fisherman has almost single-handedly been buffering the impacts of the rising waters on his home and in his community.

Known locally as ‘Mangrove Man,’ Mr. Murukesan has turned to planting trees along the shores of Vypin and the surrounding areas in the Kochi region to counter the impacts of rising waters on his home.

Tidal flooding occurs when sea level rise combines with local factors to push water levels above the normal levels. Mangroves can provide natural coastal defences against sea level rise, tides and storm surges. But over the course of his life, forest cover in the State has dwindled.

Mr. Murukesan says he grew up surrounded by beautiful, abundant mangroves that separated islands from the sea. Now, only fragmented patches of mangroves can be seen in Kochi.

“They protected our houses against floods, sea erosion, and storms, used to be an inseparable part of our life, our ecosystem,” he says. “Only these can save us,” he adds.