Palode: The Unsung Myristica Swamp

 

On a cloudy day, a few hours before 2017 got over, I went to a forest land in Palode, Trivandum, Kerala, India.

Little did I know that there were issues going on for the forest land.

Indian Medical Association(IMA) under their sub-wing IMAGE has used The Department of Environment of Annamalai University to generate N,ow, you must be thinking: it is for the benefit of the society, it is a waste treatment plant after all, what is the whole burning issue that caused a paparazzi to explode?

Here’s the thing. this forest land is home to the rare Myristica swamp(ranked as one of the rarest ecological mangrove forest type in the world by the UN). For those of you who have watched the movie, Avatar you can relate it to that big, tall and beautiful tree in it that is ever blooming and contains the ancestry secrets. You can also spot tribes that worship these trees.

This swamp is also home to many endemic and endangered species of flora and fauna which also includes the presence of elephants.

the citizens that stay near he forest are against the upbringing of this plant construction.

The Environment Department of Annamalai University generated a fake EIA report which states that “the forest land can be used by IMAGE to construct the Plant since the presence of endangered species of flora and fauna, tribal settlements, etc are not discovered. The people settled near the forest have no grudge against the erection of the plant”

The people nearby were not informed when the EIA report makers held sessions for this. The destruction of flora and fauna will cause great havoc in the long term. The liquid waste from the plant will seep into the ground and destroy the water-table and groundwater. Soil pH will alter, drinking water will turn non-potable, tribal settlements will be left in the void and many streams will be affected. This will cause micro-climatic changes as cloud formations will be affected. Without the presence of numerous trees for a cool climate for clouds to condense and precipitate, rainfall will occur less frequently and eventually stop. This will lead to dehydration and animals living in the forest will die. a whole ecosystem will be affected.

Now, let me say one more thing. This forest is a part of the Western Ghats. A slight alteration to the balance of the Western Ghats will have an over-all climatic change to the whole world.

However, this fake EIA report has taken over the media and is now under scan. Hopefully the law will prevail and save this Indian Narnia.