KOLLAM: The picturesque Munroe Thuruthu here, which is a tourist destination, is facing a flood threat due to the rise in the water level in the Ashtamudi lake that surrounds the islands. An expert team has visited the inundated islands to study the situation. The team is attending a two-day seminar being conducted by the department of environment and climate change and the state wetland authority to find solution to the issue. The seminar which began at the Quilon Beach Hotel on Sunday will be formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday.
The team included professors from the engineering colleges in the state and departments related to environment. Mr Kodikkunnil Suresh MP, who addressed the seminar, asked the state government to implement the study report already submitted on the issues of Munroe Thuruthu. "Action on such reports is indefinitely delayed by the governments. The Netherlands government had earlier offered financial aid to construct a bund connecting Munroe Thuruthu and Ashtamudi lake," he said. "This could prevent saline water from entering the islets and prevent high tide from inundating it. The constructions should also be restricted to the fragile areas of the island," he added.
A central team that visited Munroe Thuruthu last year had indicated that the phenomenon was due to climate change caused by global warming and unscientific construction. The Thuruthu, which is a collection of eight islets spread over 13.4 square km of ecologically fragile area, has a network of canals and watersheds. The filling of land for various purposes, including construction, has resulted in sinking of low-lying areas during high tide. The district administration in 2016 had banned the filling up of land in Munroe Thuruthu village and warned of penal action against the violators under sections of Kerala Minor Mineral Concession Rules and Criminal Procedures Act.
