Adopt a River

by Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences
Adopt a River
Adopt a River
Adopt a River
Adopt a River

Project Report | Apr 28, 2022
Post Flood Water Pollution at Manimala River

By Anoopa Mathews | Project Assistant

Sample collection at Koottikkal & dried-up river
Sample collection at Koottikkal & dried-up river

Cloudburst and associated flash floods at Pathanamthitta and Kottayam Districts in Kerala resulted in water level rise at Pamba, Manimala, Meenachil Rivers, etc. This has affected the river hydrology extensively and fractured the riverine ecosystems of the Manimala River. Incidentally, soon after the flood, within a period of 4-5 weeks, the river almost dried up and the water quality changed. This has negatively affected the aquatic ecosystem and riverine ecosystem. A team of TIES officials and research scholars inspected the upstream areas (50km) of the Manimala River to collect water samples in order to study the extent of pollution. The team also surveyed the river bank features and pollution aspects that are pertaining to the area. The study shows that plastic and sewage are the major pollutants and it comes from nearby residential areas, hotels, and markets. Most of the wastewater outlets of the river bank hotels and factories end up at the river. Pollution and riverine survey were also conducted among the riverbank community. People say that many of their wells are dried up at the beginning of the summer season itself and the condition of water in the river is extremely poor over the entire stretch of the river. Among the four sites from which water samples were collected, Mundakayam is the most polluted area. People also have an opinion that in some areas the water is stinky and extremely polluted.

The four major sites include: Kuruvamozhi, Koratti, Mundakayam and Koottikkal. The water samples were analyzed for microbiological and phsyiochemical parameters.

Research revealed that all the collected samples were contaminated with potential bacterial pathogens. Salmonella sp. was found in all the collected samples. Pseudomonas sp. and Vibrio sp. were found in the samples collected from Kuruvamozhi and Koratti regions. The samples from Mundakkayam region were contaminated with Pseudomonas sp. and the samples from Koottickal region were contaminated with Pseudomonas sp. and Vibrio sp.

An awareness campaign will be conducted among the riverbank community with the participation of local bodies, in order to curb the outbreak of serious water-borne diseases. 

Sample collection at Kuruvamuzhi
Sample collection at Kuruvamuzhi
Mundakayam- The most polluted site
Mundakayam- The most polluted site
Municipal Waste at Mundakayam; dried river
Municipal Waste at Mundakayam; dried river
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.

Sign up for updates

Organization Information

Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences

Location: Kottayam, Kerala - India
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @tiesktm
Project Leader:
Punnen Kurian
Kottayam , Kerala India
$5,387 raised of $7,500 goal
 
171 donations
$2,113 to go
Donate Now
lock
Donating through GlobalGiving is safe, secure, and easy with many payment options to choose from. View other ways to donate

Tropical Institute of Ecological Sciences has earned this recognition on GlobalGiving:

Help raise money!

Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.

Start a Fundraiser

Learn more about GlobalGiving

Teenage Science Students
Vetting +
Due Diligence

Snorkeler
Our
Impact

Woman Holding a Gift Card
Give
Gift Cards

Young Girl with a Bicycle
GlobalGiving
Guarantee

Get incredible stories, promotions, and matching offers in your inbox

WARNING: Javascript is currently disabled or is not available in your browser. GlobalGiving makes extensive use of Javascript and will not function properly with Javascript disabled. Please enable Javascript and refresh this page.