Kozhikode
Darshanam Samskarika Vedi will partner with the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change of Government of Kerala to carry out various programmes under the title “Paristhithikam”. The year-long programme is being held as the United Nations Environment Programme has declared the decade from 2021 to 2030 as the “Decade for restoration of the ecosystem”.
The first event under Paristhitikam will be held on Wednesday by removing plastic waste from the Kottooly wetlands under the aegis of National Service Scheme volunteers of LISSAH College, Kaithappoyil. Thottathil Raveendran, MLA, will inaugurate the event at 10 a.m. at Sarovaram Bio Park, where a nursery of mangrove saplings will also be set up as part of the event. The planting will be led by noted mangrove expert from Kannur, Parayil Rajan. The new saplings will be brought from Pappinisseri in Kannur to compensate for the mangroves lost from Kottooly.
Secretary of Darshanam and coordinator of Paristhithikam in the district, M.A. Johnson said that only a small portion of the Kottooly wetlands is in the possession of the government while a majority is owned by private individuals. The ecologically sensitive area in the middle of the city is a liability for the owners, and hence, the land mafia was trying to get hold of it. There have been several incidents recently in which parts of the wetlands were filled using garbage and construction waste in an effort to convert it into normal land. "The only way to prevent this encroachment of the wetland is for the State government to acquire it completely", he said.
Darshanam is planning a variety of programmes during the year as part of Paristhithikam, including an Open Forum to discuss steps to restore the ecosystem of the Kottooly wetlands. Jaffer Palot, a scientist from Zoological Survey of India, Pune, Scientists from Centre for Water Resources Development and Management as well as Malabar Botanical Garden, besides the life science teachers from colleges in the city will take part in the event. An informative booklet consisting of details on restoration of the wetland for the public will be published.
A painting competition for students in June, exhibition of the selected paintings and environment quiz are part of the programme. A Miyovaki forest will be set up in one cent of land at Mananchira square with the help of Kozhikode Corporation, as part of converting Kozhikode into a carbon neutral city. Restoration of two sacred groves in the district and awareness classes for teachers, public, and students are also planned.
