Casuarina trees to save shores from tides

ALAPPUZHA: The casuarina trees  can  save the shores from high tides during monsoon.  This has been proved in the areas where they are grown in the coastal areas in the district. However,  the project which was introduced in 2005 has been discontinued in some places. The coastal areas of Purakkad  panchayat such as Thottappally, Payalkulangara, Purakkad, Punthala, Pazhavagadi and Anantheswaram had been growing  the casuarinas clumps, but the cultivation in many places like Punthala, Pazhavagadi, Karoor and Anantheswaram has  been sucked  away by the  sea waves.

The trees  in eight acres of land along Thottappally coast  still  combat  sea erosion. Though the plants were widely grown with the support of social forestry in the coast belt, there was no follow-up and most of them did not grow up. But the places where the plants survived are seen less  affected by heavy sea erosion  these days. Many local people like  Gangadharan,  62, a fisherman from Karoor of Thottappally panchayat,  who lost his house in the sea erosion a couple of days ago,  bats  for casuarina. 

There should be   proper monitoring of  the saplings, he says.  Hundreds of casuarina saplings were planted years ago, but the panchayat authorities never visited  the  area after the inauguration ceremony. Years later,  nothing has survived, he points out. “It’s an effective project if it is done properly,” says V. R. Jayakrishnan , assistant forest conservator (social  forestry) here.

“The project was discontinued due to the objection from local people. When we began it, many vested interests told the local people that the areas  will be taken over by the forest department.  As a result, the local people discouraged our officials from  planting  saplings on their surroundings resulting in the death of the project,” he says.

The project was most cost-effective and result-oriented.  After it was started in Thottappally,  the salinity in the borewell water in the surroundings had  come down. The  project done by the social forestry in Nattika of Thrissur district and the coastal belts of Ernakulam had  been successful. The trees can curtail the tides and  retain  the land. The social forestry department is interested to continue  the project if the government takes it up  again, he says

The casuarina project was initiated  in the state two years before the tsunami. In May, 2003, during the opening of the ayurveda research centre, Mata Amritanandamayi Math initiated cultivation of casuarinas and coconut trees throughout the building’s beachfront compound in Alappad of Kollam district. According to the Math officials, when the tsunami struck on December 26,  2005, the trees planted on the ayurveda centre campus  had reduced the force of the  waves.

Purakkad panchayat president Rahmath Hamid told Deccan Chronicle that the panchayat will ask the district administration to continue  the project.  “We will also include the project in the panchayat’s  own development scheme and set  up   protection committees to monitor the saplings,” he  says.

Mr V.C. Madhu, former president of the panchayat, is of the opinion that the casuarina trees should be grown in the packing of seawall so that it could become stronger and sustainable.  “Their rooting is deep and wide and that is essential for preserving soil despite high tide,” he says.

Coastal conservation is still dependent  on the traditional style rockbed-based seawall though it has little impact causing heavy loss to exchequer.   Mr Saji Jayamohan, member, Green Roots, a Thottappally-based nature club which specializes in the coastal conservation, says growing coast-effective plants is the best way to conserve shores. Casuarina is fast-growing and thick-rooted. “If you grow bush-like cotton plants in the distance between two trees, it will be an added advantage to the casuarina plants,” he opines.