Four hamlets survived the tsunami, thanks to mangroves
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Four fishing hamlets in Cuddalore district -- T S Pettai, Vadakku Pichavaram, Kalaignar Nagar and MGR Nagar -- stand intact amidst the post-tsunami ruins. How much did their survival have to do with the Pichavaram mangrove regeneration project?
The four fishing hamlets of T S Pettai, Vadakku Pichavaram, Kalaignar Nagar and MGR Nagar in Cuddalore district stand intact amidst the ruins that surround them, post-tsunami. When giant waves swept onto the Tamil Nadu coastline, a wall of water 10-30 feet high wreaked havoc two kilometres inland. But in these four hamlets the water rose just 40 cm, and at a slower pace.
Their deliverance came in the form of the decade-old Pichavaram mangrove regeneration project.
Barely a decade ago, the Pichavaram mangrove area was a disaster waiting to happen. Despite its status as a reserved forest, felling of trees continued in the mangrove wetlands. Once the coastal topography changed, regeneration remained stunted. Of the 1,300 hectares of wetland, 53% of mangrove forest area was degraded.
The joint mangrove management project was initiated between 1996 and 2003 by the forest department, the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and local villagers from the Pichavaram and Methuen wetlands of Nagapattinam (an area that was also spared the fury of the waves). Local participation was ensured through the formation of a Village Level Monitoring Committee (VLMC). "While the MSSRF brought in technical expertise, the forest department gave them access and infrastructure in the reserve forest area. The locals constituted the actual workforce for the project's implementation. This is the best example of how governments, voluntary organisations and locals can collaborate," says Dr V Selvam, associate director of the Chennai-based M S Swaminathan Research Foundation.
The benefits of the project were amply demonstrated. On December 26, 2004 , villagers were able to move to higher ground in time, before the waters reached their houses. "The monstrous energy of the tsunami was dissipated when its volume spread through the restored tidal and feeder channels of the mangrove, before it could reach the villages located 100-700 metres inland. But the first line of mangroves in the Bay of Bengal have died and this time possibly cannot be regenerated," Selvam explains.
Mangroves remain the most important feature of the state's coastal protection plan. "We have proposed a Rs 1 crore project to regenerate 200 hectares of mangrove where they naturally exist. The Tamil Nadu government is expected to approve it shortly," says Tamil Nadu's chief conservator of forests, J C Kala. He has given the forest department a year to complete the planting. Having learnt important lessons from the joint mangrove management project in Pichavaram, the department is planning to enlist local participation in all its projects, and plans to form several Village-Level Monitoring Committees.
Scientists, however, are quick to say that this is not a one-size-fits-all solution. "Mangroves grow in fertile alluvial soil where the river meets the sea. Sandbars should exist to protect the young saplings from high tides. There should be a mix of freshwater and saline water from the sea, as in a
brackish water or estuarine environment. Not all types of soil are suitable for mangroves," explains Selvam.
Pichavaram is situated in the delta of the Cooleron river; the sandy beach between the backwaters and the sea protects the mangroves. But in a rain-fed coastal region the three-month monsoon may not always be able to support the plants. The Foundation has so far identified around 200 km of coastline (the Tamil Nadu coast stretches for 1,100 km) as being suitable for mangrove regeneration.
There are a number of places where mangroves are making a natural comeback. Places such as Manamelkudi near Pudupettai, Thondi, Devipattinam and Kottaipattinam, and in the delta region of the Thamirabarani river in Thoothukudi district. "With no accurate scientific or historical data available on traditional mangrove land, restoration work can start only in these belts," Selvam explains.
Moves to green the coast have already begun in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore districts, with the administration planting casuarinas and palms. In Thevanampattinam village, Cuddalore, saplings were planted in memory of those who died; they are being looked after by family members.
Voluntary organisations are pressing for the greening project to be linked with income-generating schemes so that the fisherfolk have some livelihood options. Moses Vijaykumar, relief manager, World Vision India , says: "The cash-for-work programme that the government has proposed in the lean periods
should be linked with the rejuvenation of shelter belts. This would give employment to the youth and prevent the urban migration that happens after a disaster."
Scientists believe the restoration process should be holistic, with equal emphasis placed on sand dunes and other coastal vegetation.
The mineral-rich dunes of the eastern coast have long been targets for miners, both for industrial and construction purposes. The flattening of sand dunes has upset fishing communities in the region, as the dunes act as natural cyclone and storm buffers. This traditional feature of the coastal ecology is fast disappearing to feed the construction industry that has been experiencing a shortage of construction-quality sand from riverbeds.
Dr V Selvam believes the unplanned extension of coastal agriculture, and the subsequent levelling of sand dunes, causes as much destruction as industries. Silicon mining has become a concern in Kanyakumari and Nagarcoil districts, as have coastal road projects.
The shrimp industry too has contributed heavily to the destruction in and around the villages of Pudupettai and Tarangambadi, in Nagapattinam district. Dunes were flattened along beaches stretching from Sampathpettai to Nambiar Nagar, a suburb of Nagapattinam, an area where the death toll from the tsunami was the highest.
Kala is aware of the importance of sand dunes in protecting coastal regions. He cites his department's work in the coastal districts of Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi. "Till the 1960s, the sand dunes shifted, often blocking the railroads. After the forest department planted palmyra trees and other desert vegetation to stabilise the dunes, they have afforded protection against cyclones and winds," Kala says. The forest department plans to study existing maps of sand dunes in an effort to protect the dunes that are left; and to work with the revenue department and local bodies to prevent their plunder.
(Krithika Ramalingam is a Chennai-based development journalist)