Digital mapping of rivulet and currents began in rural areas of the Kozhikode district within the wider initiative to strengthen water protection and solve threats of pollution. The project is carried out with the support of the Harith Keralam mission, the first phase included in Kunnamangalam Panchayat.
According to GRAM Panchayat, the absence of the right mapping efforts and the subsequent protection plan has led to the degradation of several small watercourses, many of which support local drinking water sources. Many of these streams have already dried up due to waste dumping and uncontrollable pollution.
Haritha Keralam Coordinators of the mission in the Kozhikode district claims that the latest mapping initiative is expected to document the current condition of each rivulatte and include public feedback. According to them, after the mapping process at the mapping level at the field mapping level, a comprehensive list of active and dry rivuletes will be easily available. Upon completion, the data will be shared with different government authorities in support of planning and implementing various measures to maintain and control pollution, they will add.
Officials also confirm that several local bodies have already completed the initial phase of the survey and dealt with concerns raised by environmentalists and local councils for nature events. “If any major threats are identified, the findings will be handed over to higher authorities for the next event,” says state level coordinator Haritha Keralam Mission Projects. He adds that mapping of watercourses has already become a compulsory exercise across the state in response to the trends of climate change and related threats.
In villages such as Karassery, Thottumukkam, Koodaranhi and Koombar, the inhabitants raised concerns about the uncontrollable refractive, which they claim to be the main reason for the drying of many rural streams. During the survey, scientific evaluation will be carried out to determine the real causes of the recent extinction of some very old water sources.
“Similar efforts to mapping in 2017 covered the main water points and checked the dams in 14 gram Panchayats in Kozhikode,” says a scientist retiring from the Center for Development and Management of Water Resources (CWRDM), Kozhikode. He adds that the project, which was completed in the National Water Campaign with the financing of NABARD, found that excessive use of water and low water quality were key contributors to lack of drinking water in the district.
In parallel effort, Kerala Remote Sensing and Environment Center in cooperation with CWRDM previously mapped wetlands throughout the state. This initiative of the State Wetland Office of India has led to the creation of a digital inventory and recording details for a reserved portal of the Central Government for other events.
Published – September 19, 2025 20:11 is
