In Response to Arguments Against Aranmula Airport by Prof. Dr. Roy George K.
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Dear Roy, I don't consider myself anti-social or unmindful of preserving life's gifts for future generations. But there are a few things that I fail to understand. (1) how is the water-source going to be affected if a few feet of soil fills wet-lands? (2) At a time when agriculture is unproductive and there is labour- scarcity in the front, don't we have to allocate the very little land at our disposal for more productive purposes? An air-port, by all means, is a sign of activity and progress as it cuts time and distance into a minute fraction of their originals. (3) Most of the wet lands in my area have been so made by the hard labour of human force in the past by dissolving soil inch by inch in water for paddy cultivation. I believe most of the wet lands in the state are also man-made like-wise. When we talk about ecology and preserving nature as it is, it follows that these lands have to be converted into garden land by filling them with soil because that was how they used to be (originally). Let's keep politics out of this and be pragmatic. Let those people who own land take decisions best for them instead of government officials making arm-chair decisions depending on the size of bribe. Please bear with me if I'm too opinionated. Thanks.
(Somarajan Panicker commented: A very good balance need to be maintained between development and environment ! A technical team from both Aviation experts as well as environmentalists need to take an assessment of the situation. Any airport or Express high way should be considered keeping in mind the impacts of Environment as well as merits of the project. It should not be just politics !)
Thanks Gibi and Somarajan... I must add that paddy cultivation in Kuttanad was made possible by dumping soil in the backwaters, thus lifting land out of water... in those days Murikan was viewed as an anti-social and considered a capitalist- an enemy of the proletariat just for doing that... and our own Alappuzha District turned out to be the battleground with farmers and farm-laborers fighting and spilling blood ("Nammalu koyum vayalellaam nammudethaakum painkiliyae" )... Tell me if its still a good idea to convert those paddy fields back into the backwaters they used to be? And most importantly, during an economic recession, the state should generate jobs by entering the construction field - roads, highways, bridges, railways, AIRPORTS etc. to create jobs and to develop infra-structure resulting in economic development. If private entrepreneurs come forward to do it, they must be encouraged by all means. Shall we stop short of following that time-tested remedy? Are we on the path to progress or regress? We live in an era when a Chinese father gives his daughter dowry to the tune of 88,000 crores of rupees! No offence meant, thanks again.
(Here Linu Abraham chips in: I also just quote Alex sir's comment "I don't consider myself anti-social or unmindful of preserving life's gifts for future generations." Most of the water filled in these wetlands percolate deep into the ground thereby regenerate the underwater table which is been used by many of us. What happens when we fill these lands is, majority of will runoff to rivers and finally to sea without percolating in to the ground. But we also need to consider what is beneficial to the community and its development before we protest against any development. Aranmula airport is vital to the development of this area ,reduces traffic congestion, pollution caused by it and several benefits. Unless our politicians change their attitude and we stop bribing them, our wetlands and paddy fields will keep on vanished from this land).
Thank you, Linu, I appreciate it. But there's no one suit that fits all. Each has to be tailored as required and you did mention it. Over- exploitation also can lead to resource destruction. Over- drafting in the context of aquifer management, over- harvesting in fishing, over- grazing in stock management, over- logging in forest management, endangered species in species monitoring- all can cause extinction. Above all, over- exploitation is not an activity limited to humans. Introduced predators and herbivores, for example, can over- exploit native flora and fauna. Thank you.
( Original post by Dr. Roy George K: ആറന്മുള എയര്‍ പോര്‍ട്ടിനു വേണ്ടി നികത്തപ്പെടുന്ന, ഒന്നിനും കൊളളില്ല, ആര്‍ക്കും വേണ്ട എന്ന് പറയപ്പുടുന്ന ഈ ചതുപ്പ് നിലം ഈ പ്രദേശത്തിന്റെ ജീവ നാഡി ആണ് എന്ന് നാം മറന്നു പോകരുത് !!!!! നമ്മുടെ ഈ പുഞ്ച പ്രദേശങ്ങളും നെല്‍ വയലുകളും നമ്മുടെ ആഹാരത്തിന്റെ കലവറ മാത്രമല്ല, പിന്നെയോ ശുദ്ധ ജല സ്രോതുസും കൂടെയാണ്!! ഭൂമിയുടെ വൃക്ക്കള്‍ "the kidney's of the planet" എന്ന് അറിയപ്പെടുന്ന ഈ വയലുകള്‍ സംരക്ഷിക്കപ്പെടെണ്ടിയത് ഈ നാട്ടിലെ ഓരോ പൗരെന്റെയും ഉത്തരവാദിത്വം ആണ് !!!!!!).
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Dear Roy, I don't consider myself anti-social or unmindful of preserving life's gifts for future generations. But there are a few things that I fail to understand. (1) how is the water-source going to be affected if a few feet of soil fills wet-lands? (2) At a time when agriculture is unproductive and there is labour- scarcity in the front, don't we have to allocate the very little land at our disposal for more productive purposes? An air-port, by all means, is a sign of activity and progress as it cuts time and distance into a minute fraction of their originals. (3) Most of the wet lands in my area have been so made by the hard labour of human force in the past by dissolving soil inch by inch in water for paddy cultivation. I believe most of the wet lands in the state are also man-made like-wise. When we talk about ecology and preserving nature as it is, it follows that these lands have to be converted into garden land by filling them with soil because that was how they used to be (originally). Let's keep politics out of this and be pragmatic. Let those people who own land take decisions best for them instead of government officials making arm-chair decisions depending on the size of bribe. Please bear with me if I'm too opinionated. Thanks.
(Somarajan Panicker commented: A very good balance need to be maintained between development and environment ! A technical team from both Aviation experts as well as environmentalists need to take an assessment of the situation. Any airport or Express high way should be considered keeping in mind the impacts of Environment as well as merits of the project. It should not be just politics !)
Thanks Gibi and Somarajan... I must add that paddy cultivation in Kuttanad was made possible by dumping soil in the backwaters, thus lifting land out of water... in those days Murikan was viewed as an anti-social and considered a capitalist- an enemy of the proletariat just for doing that... and our own Alappuzha District turned out to be the battleground with farmers and farm-laborers fighting and spilling blood ("Nammalu koyum vayalellaam nammudethaakum painkiliyae" )... Tell me if its still a good idea to convert those paddy fields back into the backwaters they used to be? And most importantly, during an economic recession, the state should generate jobs by entering the construction field - roads, highways, bridges, railways, AIRPORTS etc. to create jobs and to develop infra-structure resulting in economic development. If private entrepreneurs come forward to do it, they must be encouraged by all means. Shall we stop short of following that time-tested remedy? Are we on the path to progress or regress? We live in an era when a Chinese father gives his daughter dowry to the tune of 88,000 crores of rupees! No offence meant, thanks again.
(Here Linu Abraham chips in: I also just quote Alex sir's comment "I don't consider myself anti-social or unmindful of preserving life's gifts for future generations." Most of the water filled in these wetlands percolate deep into the ground thereby regenerate the underwater table which is been used by many of us. What happens when we fill these lands is, majority of will runoff to rivers and finally to sea without percolating in to the ground. But we also need to consider what is beneficial to the community and its development before we protest against any development. Aranmula airport is vital to the development of this area ,reduces traffic congestion, pollution caused by it and several benefits. Unless our politicians change their attitude and we stop bribing them, our wetlands and paddy fields will keep on vanished from this land).
Thank you, Linu, I appreciate it. But there's no one suit that fits all. Each has to be tailored as required and you did mention it. Over- exploitation also can lead to resource destruction. Over- drafting in the context of aquifer management, over- harvesting in fishing, over- grazing in stock management, over- logging in forest management, endangered species in species monitoring- all can cause extinction. Above all, over- exploitation is not an activity limited to humans. Introduced predators and herbivores, for example, can over- exploit native flora and fauna. Thank you.
( Original post by Dr. Roy George K: ആറന്മുള എയര്‍ പോര്‍ട്ടിനു വേണ്ടി നികത്തപ്പെടുന്ന, ഒന്നിനും കൊളളില്ല, ആര്‍ക്കും വേണ്ട എന്ന് പറയപ്പുടുന്ന ഈ ചതുപ്പ് നിലം ഈ പ്രദേശത്തിന്റെ ജീവ നാഡി ആണ് എന്ന് നാം മറന്നു പോകരുത് !!!!! നമ്മുടെ ഈ പുഞ്ച പ്രദേശങ്ങളും നെല്‍ വയലുകളും നമ്മുടെ ആഹാരത്തിന്റെ കലവറ മാത്രമല്ല, പിന്നെയോ ശുദ്ധ ജല സ്രോതുസും കൂടെയാണ്!! ഭൂമിയുടെ വൃക്ക്കള്‍ "the kidney's of the planet" എന്ന് അറിയപ്പെടുന്ന ഈ വയലുകള്‍ സംരക്ഷിക്കപ്പെടെണ്ടിയത് ഈ നാട്ടിലെ ഓരോ പൗരെന്റെയും ഉത്തരവാദിത്വം ആണ് !!!!!!).
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