Thiruvananthapuram: Barely weeks after the devastating floods, Kerala is witnessing the strange phenomenon of rivers shrinking sharply. The bed of the Bharathapuzha has once again become visible at many places.
The falling water levels in many rivers have triggered speculation about a possible drought-like situation in the State, especially if the northeast monsoon later this year fails.
The Kozhikode-based Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) has been tasked up with the assignment to study the phenomenon.
A.B. Anita, executive director, CWRDM, an autonomous research institution under the State government, said heavy run-off of the top soil in the upland areas and the siltation in the rivers were the reasons for the falling water level.
The top soil in the hills and upland areas had been removed in the flash floods to a depth of up to two metres in many places. As the top soil was shaved off, it ruined the hills’ capacity to sponge in rainwater, she said.
“A detailed, location-specific geographical investigation” is necessary to establish the exact cause for the shrinking of the rivers. The government has already tasked the CWRDM with finding the causes, and a panel of scientists has been set up. The preliminary outcome of the study would be available in a few days, she said.