Saline intrusion kills Kole fields that provide 40% of Kerala’s rice requirement

Kole fields in Thrissur & Malappuram districts, providing 40% of Kerala's rice, are threatened by saline intrusion due to leakage in regulators. Temporary mud bunds have failed to stop salt water intrusion, causing ₹12.57 crore loss to Kole farmers. Reconstruction of Enamavu-Idianchira-Munayam regulators, with modern tech, is urgently needed to protect the Kole fields & livelihoods of thousands of farm families & fishers. Farmers demand insurance coverage for crop damage.

Saline intrusion, due to leakage in the regulators, is threatening the survival of Kole fields that spreads over 13,612 hectares in Thrissur and Malappuram districts. The fields, which lie 0.5 to 2.5 m below the sea level, provide 40% of Kerala’s rice requirement.

Enamavu Lock, a regulator at the estuarine mouth, meant to serve as a barrier against salt water intrusion into the vast stretch of Kole fields, was built in 1957 with the most advanced technologies available then. Two other regulators, Idianchira and Munayam, too were commissioned in 1998 for the same purpose.

Over a period, all these regulators developed leakage and have turned almost defunct. The temporary mud bunds, which are built every year, have failed to stop the salt water intrusion causing huge loss to the Kole farmers.

“The 3,104 Kole farmers from Vengidangu and Mullassery panchayats alone had suffered a loss of ₹12.57 crore (4,424 tonnes of paddy) in the past two years. Thanneerkayal, a Kole field of Vengidangu panchayat, did not even get a single spike of paddy in the past year,” said K.K. Aneesh Kumar, who conducted a study on the impact of saline intrusion into Kole fields.

The regulators have two functions. During rain, they allow draining of the floodwater entering the Kole fields to the backwaters through Conolly Canal and subsequently to the sea through Chettuva Estuary. On the other hand, it blocks the intrusion of salt water to the Kole fields, which lays below the sea level, during the dry season.

“Protecting the Kole fields, the lifeline of Thrissur and Malappuram districts, is the responsibility of the government. Kole fields provide a livelihood to thousands of farm families and fishers. Apart from providing the major share of States’ paddy needs, it protects Thrissur city and Ponnani town from flooding. Protecting the Kole fields also means protecting the water resources of the adjoining habitations,” said E.J. James, former Director of Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) and member of the Governing Body of Wetlands International South Asia.

He stressed the urgent need to reconstruct Enamavu-Idianchira-Munayam regulators, with modern technology, including automatic saline sensors, to protect the Kole fields, a designated Ramsar site of unique ecological and biological importance.