Both Thrissur and Palakkad districts are bracing for the worst summer in recent years. The shutters of Malampuzha dam in Palakkad was opened two weeks earlier than usual in the third week of march this year for the drinking water projects at Desamangalam, Cheruthuruthi, Panjal Pallam Mecherikunnu in Thrissur situated on the banks of Bharthapuzha river and at Chelakkara, Ottuaplam , Mayannur regions in Palakkad. In Palakkad the water from the dram is also used for ‘Punja’ (paddy) cultivation. But the officials concerned at the project site said that even after the water was released, the quantity available was too less and after two weeks from now bed would dry up and pumping will have to be stopped. The shutters of the dam will be raised further in April it is learnt.
Ms India Devi of Kerala Agriculture University in Mannuthy here said that a study conducted linking drought and social economic factors at the university in 2015 had found that Thrissur would be the worst affected district in the state considering social factors like the number of marginal farmers BPL families and environmental reasons like less forest cover and reclaimed wetlands. “A study done by my department , Center of Excellence in Environmental Economics , two months ago had found that the funds spent by local bodies for supplying potable water during summer was far more than what is needed for preserving wetlands and paddy fields to conserve water to over-come drought,” she noted.
