Island of Ashtamudi lake

 It is an inland island located at the confluence

of Ashtamudi Lake and Kallada River.
 It is a cluster of 8 islands Which are seperated
by small water channels and lake.
 The islands include Kidapram North and
South, Kandramkani, Pattamthuruthu East
and West and Nenmeni North .
 It is accessible by road,rail and inland water
transport
 25 kms from Kollam and 75 kms from
Trivandrum international airport.
 Latitude and longitude : 9°0′0″N &76°37′0″E
 Total Area: 13.4 sq km
 Height Above Sea Level: 3.32 m
 Population :9440(as of 2017 panchayath
report)
 The area is surrounded by the Ashtamudi Lake
and Kallada River and their tributaries. Northern
boundary of the Panchayat is covered by west
kallada, north east part by east Kallada, east by
Perayam, south east by Perinad, south by
Panayam, south west by Thrikkaruva and the
western part is covered by the Ashtamudi lake.
 1795:Princely state of travancore came under
British supremacy.
 1800:Resident was appointed by British as
the administrative head of travancore.
 First resident was Colonel Colin Macaulay.
 The second resident was Colonel John
Munroe. During his tenure, Munroe oversaw
the land reclamation efforts in delta where
Kallada River joins Ashtamudi Lake and the
reclaimed island was name after him as
Munroe Island.
 Fishing(Backwater fishing)
 Pisciculture(Mainly Shrimp,Striped
chromide(also known as karimeen), crabs
,oysters etc.)
 Coir industry
 Boat building
 Agriculture(Pepper, nutmeg and coconut)
 Oil extraction from dried coconut
 Duck poultry and animal husbandry.
 Tourism(island village,migratory bird
watch,lagoons,tiny islands of Pathupara etc)
 The area surrounding Munroe island is part of
Astamudi estuary(the tidal mouth of a large river,
where the tide meets the stream.)
 The top soil of Munroe Islands is acidic saline soil
as per the classification of soils by the
Department of soil survey and soil conservation
 During monsoon season, when rainwater and
fresh water from rivers enter the fields, salinity is
partially washed off
 A wide variation in texture from sandy loam to
clay is noticed with dark grey to black color
Depth (in Soil type
metre)
0-2 Clayey mud(organic)

2-6 Medium to fine sand

6-14 Silt clay

>14 Medium to fine sand

 The island is noticed to be slowly sinking
after the construction of Thenmala dam in
1986 in kalllada river
 The tsunami of 2004 aggravated this
situation
 Low lying areas of islands are now under the
threat of submergence during high tide
 May sink and vanish in near future!!
 Most of the nearby islands are seen permanently
inundated to by about 1.25 m since a few years
 The islands including Kidapram North and South,
Kandramkani, Pattamthuruthu East and West and
Nenmeni North have been found to be severely
affected by tidal floods
 Water level has risen to over a feet during the
high tides recently
 Over 300 families abandoned the place because
their houses got flooded permanently.
 River flooding stopped and thus the supply of
nutrient rich deposits and fine grain sand
also substantially reduced
 The resultant reduction in flood water has
made the acidic saline soil even more acidic
as the acidic residue doesn’t get washed
away.This has lead to the collapse of paddy
cultivation which was possible for 4-6
months earlier during monsoon season as
there was fresh water availibility by monsson
water brought by kallada river
 Thus many who were depended on
agriculture for income either moved away
from the island or started pisciculture.
 The coconut trees around the water-filled
fields and slushy walkways look bare and
diseasedwhich has also affected coir industry
aswell .
 The main problem was the worsening of tidal
condition.Earlier, the threat of tidal waves
used to be mild and confined to about two
months each year(Mainly November-
Deceber)but now it occurs atleast twice a
week. The tidal waves rise to a height of 2.5
to 3 metres.
 The tsunami destroyed most of the
mangroves in the area which also is a reason
 Due to the force of the receeding tsunami
waters, the silt and sand in the shore got
washed away into the deep sea. As the depth
of the shore waters increased, the force of
the tidal waves from the deep sea became
deadly. Some environmentalists attribute the
reason for the sinking islands to climate
change and say it could be due to rising sea
levels.
 The tidal condition also worsened the
agricultural sector even more forcing people
to take up other jobs
 The ferocity of the tidal waves has also
weakened the houses; many are dilapidated.
Babies sleep in wet cradles. Toilets have
broken and human excreta can be seen
floating around. Worse, people find it difficult
to cremate the dead as most areas are
waterlogged.
 It caused more misery to pisciculture
farmers.as there was increase in fresh water
which got into the water causing decrease in
salinity and thus causing the death of almost
all fishes present due to some fungal
disease.Every farmers were forced to start
anew and many suffered great losses.
 Many families permanently lost their
homes.The Public health centre was also
abandoned permanently as the flood water
caused cracks throuhout the building.
 Due to change in climatic conditions caused
by global warming.
 Unscientific constructions
 The post-tsunami tectonic shift and dam
construction-across River Kallada (Dr.
Sainudeen Pattazhi and Shasthra Sahithya
Parishad)
 Delta Destabilization(3 m high areas sunk by
0.5 to 1 m)
 The reduced silt accumulation in the island
after the dam construction.
 Continuous vibration caused by the trains
that pass by the island
 Increasing tidal conditions and due to
destruction of mangroves, as mangroves
used to control tides(provedin studies) and
also holds the soil from being washed away.
 About 200 families had abandoned the island
 The saline water intrusion - everywhere!
 Reduced availability of drinking water
 Reduced land availability for agriculture and
allied activities
 Diminished space for house building
 Decline in agriculture production levels and
day to day economy
 Abandoned shrimp ponds
 Severe drainage problems including non-
working of toilet flush systems.
 Non availibility of drinking water as there is
seepage of saline water.
 A green belt of mangrove trees around the
island system ,This can greatly reduce the
tidal condition and also raising mangroves
along the river banks and backwaters can
tackle shoreline erosion
 A conclusive report on the condition of the
island should be made and govt supported
research by various organization should be
promoted
 network of GPS and SAR (a form of radar that
is used to create two-dimensional images
or three-dimensional reconstructions of
objects, such as landscapes) and precision
leveling technique to monitor subsidence of
the rapidly and slowly settling areas may be
conducted for long duration, such that a clear
picture may be evolved regarding the stability
of the island chain
 Once the highly vulnerable areas are
identified rehabilitation measures may be
implemented to safely relocate its residents.
While designing the new constructions, steps
must be taken to keep the stresses to a
minimum. This can be achieved by using light
weight construction materials.
Amphibian house1 Amphibian house 2
 Munroe island is alarmingly sinking; which is
a serious issue to be addressed
 It is very important to assess the sinking rate
of Munroe island scientifically and to find out
solutions to conserve this precious land
 Global attention from FAO, NACA and other
Organizations is highly solicited.