An Assessment of Floods in Kainakary, Kuttanadu : A Study on

its Impacts on Infrastructure and Damages and Coping

Mechanisms as a measure of Flood Mitigation

Sreelekshmi .A. Pillai

17/05/2021
Kuttanad was experienced the worst flood in the last two decades. Water level was raised to
about 5 feet in the most places and 100 percentage of the surveyed household where affected
to some extent. Results also show that two third of the surveyed areas in Kuttanad are in flood
prone zone and flooded at least once a year. Most of the household who were frequently
suffering, fall in BPL category. Drinking water scarcity is also raised as a crucial problem.

IMPACT OF FLOOD IN KUTTANAD

Kuttanad is mostly confined to the present-day Alapuzha district, and also includes some
portions of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts. Several rivers flowing down from the
Western Ghats, meet the Vembanad Lake in the region before joining the Arabian Sea.

Most parts of Kuttanad is located at elevations below mean sea level. Kuttanad is delta land of
about 900 sq.km . Prior to the monsoons, saline intrusions enter Kuttanad through the
connections of the Lake with the sea. Only few openings like the Thottappally Spillway give
direct access for sea water to enter. During monsoons, the region is heavily prone to flooding.
Cultivation is done at average elevations of 1.2 to 3 metres below mean sea level.

Kuttanad taluk, known as the rice bowl of the state, has a predominant position in the
production of rice. Kuttanad is geographically a unique zone. It is the broad wetland zone
situated around the Vembanad Lake system. In the past, the marshy soil in this zone was
regularly enriched by deposits of a tremendous amount of silt through the river systems of the
region in the monsoon season. The clayey paddy soil in the area remained highly fertile and
very suitable for paddy cultivation.

The present study was conducted in Kainakari, Kuttanad, located 2.5-3 meters below the sea
level in south Kerala, India.

Kainakari, a small village, is situated at a distance of about 8 km from the town of Alapuzha, the
headquarters of the Alapuzha district. It is located in Kuttanad taluk in Alapuzha district, a place
which is located 2.5-3 meters below the MSL.

Kainakary is a Panchayat in Alappuzha District of Kerala which is completely bounded by river

Pampa. The panchayath is blessed with presence of more than 5 lakes. Five rivers originating
from the Western Ghats, including the sacred Pamba River, drain into the Vembanad lake at the
tip of Kainakary. According to the 2011 Census, the total population of the panchayath is 23696
people, living in 5689 households. The total area of this lowland is36.64 sq.km. River Pampa
and Vembanad Lake are the major ecosystem in the panchayath.

Kainakari is a symbol of Kuttanad style of cultivation by constructing bunds around the water
bodies. The panchayath is characterized by numerous streams and lakes. Vembanad lake and
Pampa are the main water bodies. Kainakari was one of the areas worst affected by the 2018
floods. All the 15 wards were affected by flood. It is one of those places which is prone to flash
floods due to its low altitude and sudden rain fall. The catastrophic floods have caused
extensive damages.

Key Observations

1. More than 2/3rd of the flooded houses are flooded at least once a year.

2. Most of the roofs of the houses was blown away and the foundation of 90%of the houses
were fully or partially damaged.

3. Families in the BPL category are at a disadvantage in terms of access to wells and sanitation
facilities. Over 75% of the surveyed population said they experience a shortage of drinking
water.

4. The region is subjected to severe flooding during the monsoon and saline water intrusion
during summer season.

It is the land surrounded by water bodies like rivers, lakes, backwaters and the coastal
ecosystem. Here the area where human population is inhabited is up to one meter above MSL.
The networks of canals and rivers are extensively used for transportation, reclamation and
livelihood means.

The life and livelihoods revolves around water and water based activities. The top
vulnerabilities of this region includes high flood water level almost throughout the year,
drinking water scarcity, high water pollution and poverty which makes the life of inhabitants of
this place miserable.

Flood condition

Kainakari was one of the most affected region of Kerala in 2018 flood. Nearly 2.7 lakh people
were evacuated during flood times and they had to shift from more than one relief camp as it
also get water logged. During the flood times, transportation route get flooded and the houses
of this region get isolated. Most of the houses were displaced in flood by few inches due to the
displacement of foundation. The water that entered the house caused structural damage to the
materials inside the house.

Impact on the ecosystem

The village itself has numerous number of small water bodies, rivers, canals and ponds. During
flood, muddy water carried by flood mixed with Manimalayar at Mitrakari. Vembanad river,
Meenapalli, and Vattakayal are the major ponds in this panchayat. Wells are another aquatic
ecosystems. The water in this wells become salty after flood.

Being part of Kuttanad, vast paddy lands make up the major part of the village. These paddy
lands are below sea water level. So the rice cultivation in this area is very unique.

Floods are another major calamity that could be seen in Kainakary's history. Floods in kuttanad
are expected during every heavy monsoon season in Kerala. Kuppapuram, Cherukali, Arupanku,
Tekkevavakkadu, Vadakkevavakkadu, Kadukayya, Somathuram, Irumbanam, Puthanthuram,
Idappalli, Knakassery, C block, Rany, Chithira and Marthandam are the major affected paddy
fields in this panchayat. Parks and farms are the major manmade ecosystems. Parks are
associated with public gardens and school gardens. There are severely affected by flood. Many
private farms were also located in this panchayat, each of them comprising hundreds of
domestic animals. Cow and goats are mostly destroyed species.

Figure 1. Population study of the region ( Source : A study on new amphibious housing solution
for vulnerable communities in Kuttanad )

Impacts of Flooding

Flood

The average flood levels were close to 5 feet in most places, and all the households surveyed
were affected to some extent. Most respondents recalled the water flowing in suddenly into
their houses as opposed to gradually rising. Crop losses were reported by 580 households, with
almost equal numbers of households in Above Poverty Line (APL) and Below Poverty Line (BPL)
categories. The lower percentage of BPL households reporting crop loss may be because many
in this category are wage labourers who do not own agriculture land.

When the flood frequency was studied, it is noted that of the 66% of the houses surveyed were
flooded at least once a year, though not as severely. The tendency to be flooded is not heavily
dependent on household status. Over 70% of households were flooded at least once in 3 years.
In general, 69% of BPL households report being flooded regularly as opposed to64% APL
households. The misery caused by flooding may have been intensified by the lack of tall
structures as only 5% of buildings in the surveyed area were multi-storeyed.

Health

Drinking water supply and sanitation system was inadequate during the flood. Sanitation was a
major problem in all flooded areas. Common diseases found were fever (in 423 households)
and diarrhoea (in 22 households) with BPL households reporting greater incidences of both
fever and diarrhoea. BPL households had more people requiring special care/physical
disabilities (pregnant, elderly, infants, bedridden, cancer patients, physically challenged).

All the wells had flooded, with less than half of the number chlorinated at the time of survey.
Well ownership was significantly higher among those in the APL category.

Few households are relying on open spaces for defecation and use of bio-toilets or public toilets
are very limited. Crop losses were found in about one-fourth of the households surveyed.

Water Scenario

The top soil was washed away and it was deposited in various water bodies in the Panchayath.
Thus Issues related to availability of potable water was common at the time of flood. The wells
in almost all the wards were affected and some of them were not yet restored.

In the post flood scenario, understanding water usage patterns is important as interventions at
this level can prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. Tap water is by far the most common
source of water, used by 40% of the surveyed households. Boiling is the most common method
of treating water for consumption. Some households did chlorination in addition to boiling. APL
households were twice as likely to use chlorine tablets as those of BPL households. Bottled
water, borewells, and tankers were also popular sources. It is concerning however, that 10% of
the households were depending upon polluted local water bodies for supplying their
requirements. Also, no discernible differences were observed in the use of water sources
between APL and BPL families.
Of the households surveyed, 610 households had wells. As expected, all of them were flooded
during the time of survey. However, 43% of these wells had already been chlorinated. Well
ownership was significantly higher among those in the APL category.

Despite the higher number of BPL respondents, 50% of the total wells surveyed belonged to
APL households. This is disproportionately high considering that 58% of those surveyed fell in
the BPL category.

Impact on livelihood

As the Panchayat is an agricultural village, the loss of domestic animals, birds and agricultural
crops affected the livelihood of the people in the Panchayath negatively.

Damage Analysis of Structures:

Flood levels have risen on an average of 5 feet in most of the places and all the households
surveyed were affected at least to some extent. Lack of tall structures has increased the impact
of floods, as only 5% of the buildings surveyed had more than one storey.

● 5.27% of houses are affected by the flood and require complete reconstruction or need major
intervention.

● 65.67% of the houses analysed seem to require some intervention.

● 19.45% of the houses do not require any major renovation.

CAUSES FOR FLOODING

Waterlogging here is a familiar situation to the local community. However reoccurrence of

floods is increasing alarmingly. Kuttanad and adjoining low lying areas due to their
geographical, local and elevation are flood prone naturally.

In the Kuttanad region the major resource for livelihood is the Vembanad lake be it in the form
of reclaimed lands for paddy cultivation, fishing, tourism, etc. However, several human
interventions combined with poor management has led to manifold conflicts in the region.

Kuttanad Development Scheme was sanctioned by the State Government to solve the basic
flood issues of this wetland system and it mainly consisted of three parts:

1. THOTTAPPALLY SPILLWAY

The first step for development of Kuttanad was the construction of Thottappally spillway and
the construction was started in 1951. The search for a permanent solution to the problem of
floods and crop loss in Kuttanad has led to the construction of a spillway at Thottapally for the
speedy drainage of flood water to the Arabian Sea. The spillway aimed to flush away the extra
floodwater from the Pampa, Manimala and Achenkoil rivers into the sea before it could flood
Kuttanad. However, due to poor implementation, management and poor maintenance, salt
water intrusion through the spillway has become a permanent concern for the farmers ofthe
region. The construction of the spillway has not made any noticeable improvement in the
control of flood.

2. THANNEER MUKKAM BUND (A salt-water barrier)

The second was the construction of regulator at Thaneermukkam to prevent salt water
intrusion from the sea during 1955. The original plan was to construct the regulator at
Thaneermukkam where the Vembanad lake is at its narrowest width. There was great pressure
from the farmers side for stopping the salt water intrusion into the paddy lands during the lean
season and high tides. It is again due to poor planning, management and implementation, the
iron shutters on eastern and western portions were completed, but the middle portion
remained incomplete. The structure keeps the water free of salinity and adding another crop in
dry season. Before the construction of the Thanneermukkom regulator, the entire backwater
area used to become saline or brackish during the pre-monsoon period.

In 1975, the farmers of Kuttanad started an agitation demanding the completion of the bund.
Thousands of farmers worked for a couple of weeks free of cost and completed a permanent
earthen bund in the middle of the lake joining eastern and western portions. The fisher folk of
the area had always been opposed to the bund since they wanted salt water and fishes to enter
for breeding and for better catch.

They have been in direct regular conflicts with the farmers on the issue of regulating the
operations of the iron shutters of the bund. The generally agreed period for the closing and
opening of the bund is 15th December and 15th March. However at times the bund is closed
for longer periods due to pressure from the farmers lobby. On the other side, the fishermen
have been protesting and demonstrating against this and also demanding that the bund be kept
open throughout the whole year. Even some farmer groups also now supporting this demand
due to the negative impact of the bund on the agriculture and the larger wetlands system.
When the regulator is closed, there is virtually no flow of water beyond it on the southern side
making the entire Kuttanad a static pool. The periodic tidal inflow which used to flush the water
body is completely prevented with the result that the drained water from the rice fields with
heavy load of pesticides and fertiliser residues remains stagnant in the water body. Added to
these pollutants, the human, animal and agricultural wastes, and industrial effluents that are
emptied into the Kuttanad wetland system turned this rice bowl into a waste bowl.
3. ALAPPUZHA CHANGANASSERY ROAD

The third part was the construction of 24 km long Alappuzha to Changanassery road in 1957.
This road passes through the middle of Kuttanad. Later on, several roads and bunds were
constructed across the low-lying floodplains. This has lead to blockages in the water flow and
subsequently flooding in the region. Over a period of time several other factors have also lead
to increasing conflicts like tourism promotion, modern agricultural practices, fresh water needs
of the local population and dumping of municipal waste into Vembanad and the rivers flowing
into it. These interventions also had a poor impact on the overall ecology of the region, the
agriculture productivity, fishing, fresh water requirements, public health and hygiene, etc.

References

1. Impact Assessment of flood/landslides on biodiversity and ecosystem of Idukki and Kuttanad

- Kerala State Biodiversity Board – Centre for Management Development, Thiruvananthapuram
– 695014 – August 2019

2. Rapid flood impact assessment in Kuttanad region – Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) and
Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), Indian Institute of Technology,
Bombay- Working Paper – August 2019

3. A special package for post-flood Kuttanad – Kerala State Planning Board – October 2019

4. Human Impact on Kuttanad Wetland System – An Overview – Review Paper – K.A. Sreejith –
January 2013