DESILTING MALAMPUZHA RESERVOIR, PALAKKAD DIST.

, KERALA, INDIA:
ECOGEOLOGICAL OBJECTIONS
Dr.Thrivikramji.K.P. thrivikramji@gmail.com

(An English language version of a talk presented in a seminar organized by Malampuzha Dam
Samrakshana Samithi, in Palakkad, July 11, 09)

It is 55 yr., since commissioning of the Malampuzha dam and the Malampuzha lake in Palakkad dist. of
Kerala. The KERI (Kerala Engineering Research Institute) came up with a suggestion that the reservoir
already lost 12% of the reservoir capacity due to the siltation. Walayar, another tributary of Kalpathipuzha,
has a smaller dam and reservoir (Walayar reservoir) upstream of confluence of Malampuza and
Kalpathipuzha. Both dams have been built on the right bank tributaries rising from the western ghats on
the northern escarpment of Palakkad Gap.

Table: 1. Vital facts, Malampuzha Reservoir, Palkkad..

River basin Bharathapuzha
Dammed Tributary Malampuzha
Catchment area 147.63 km2
Reservoir Capacity 226 mm3
Water spread at FRL 23.13 km2
Level of siltation (KERI) 12% or 27.12 mm3
Level of garbage (NRSA) 17.0 mm3 or 7.5%
So sediment volume Between 17 and 27 mm3

In the Budget speech for FY09, the minister concerned made an announcement in the state assembly,
following a recommendation of the water resources ministry, a program of desilting of the Malampuzha
lake will be implemented at cost of Rs.800 crores and at net revenue of Rs.400 crores out of the sale of
sand and mud in the sediment in the lake. Undoubtedly and seemingly, a definitely worthwhile and
pragmatic proposal.

Yet, the issues of desilting are not about making additional revenue or raising the storage of the reservoir
as the desilting is loaded with umpteen eco-geological problems about which no transparent answers are
offered by the concerned authorities of the government.

First and foremost of all, my questions are:

1. Is there such a reserve of silt or sediment in the reservoir?. As an advance answer, I will say
there is no such quantum of accumulated silt in the lake basin.
2. What management practices and technological solutions have been readied to overcome the
sediment plume rising in the reservoir water and contaminating the sole drinking water source of
20 million humans in and around the Palakkad town?
3. Will the sediment laden water be fit for irrigating the cultivavable fileds in the ayacut as the soil
characteristics may slide to a different consistence and nature perhaps even deleterious to the
crops at least in the short or medium terms?
4. What is the fate of the mud (silt and clay) once the sand fraction (15%) is removed for sale? (A
proposal is to sell the mud to the Burned brick industry?)
5. Will the highly organic carbon laden mud be acceptable to the brick industry? If they reject how
and where the mud will be disposed?
6. In addition to sediment, the catchment also supplies dissolved chemical ions in to the reservoir
waters, from the farm residues of fertilizers as well as biocides. The loading of such in the
sediment will be at least a 100 times larger than its level in the water. Have the quanta and
species of these ions have been ascertained before hand and made public to allay the fears of
the civil society of Palakkad?
7. When the sediment comes out of the reservoir into the washing plant, it is logical that two
fractions of sediment, viz., sand and mud will be stored separately in the storage areas and will
be subject the wind (currents) which will hasten the drying the top layer of stored materials. The
finer mud grains will be picked up the wind and resulting in duststorm like contexts, harming the
 lungs of the very young and older citizens and the other immuno-compromised members of the
society. In fact we have been enjoying the Palakkadan Kattu season from time immemorial. To
further worsen the situation; in the aerosolic mineral particles (chiefly clay), several lethal and
non-lethal chemical radicals will enjoy a piggy ride.
8. Now it is the question of the sediment volume. Take for example some specific aspects of the
Malampuzha lake. No detailed topographic survey at a scale 1:1000 or 1:2000 exists, other than
the SOI toposheets of 1:63360 scale. It is precisely so in respect of all the reservoirs of the state
of Kerala and of India in general. This study/mapping is considered as unnecessary expenditure
while proposing the estimate of the investment.
9. What is available now is the bathy chart of sediment water interface of the Lake. As Pre-lake map
of the basin of a very gross scale, despite the accuracy of the map of the sediment prism and its
size in the reservoir shall be far from precise. As far as I know, no sparker survey has been
under taken yet to establish the bottom or base of the sediment prism enabling a better precision
in the quantum of sediment.
10. But NRSA went one step ahead using DGPS (?) and other satellite image based technologies
and came up with a an estimate of garbage in the lake bed at 17.0 mm3, roughly half of what
KERI came up with. I shall assume that the truth is somewhere else and would take the NRSA
number as a ceiling figure. So the lost storage of the reservoir is at variance with the proposal of
KERI and used by the water resources ministry to launch a scheme of desilting of the reservoir.
And this accumulation took a span of 55 yr.
11. For argument sake, at the rate of 27.0 mm3 rounded to 30.0 mm3 per every 55 yr., it might take
400 yr. for the lake to become a marsh. Or the lake will loose 50% storage only by 150 yr. from
today. From the eco-geological point of view I do not see any compulsion for desilting
Malampuzha Lake to day or ten years from now. The only counter point is that the sand in the
sediment is a commodity in short supply in the state and this program will go a long way in saving
the rivers of Kerala.

Now let us take a closer look at problems of handling the mud after removal of sand. We have been given
to understand that the desilting is a two year long process. Fine. But what about the strategies for
preventing mixing of mud in the lake water which is used for piped water supply in the region. And
removal also will undoubtedly result in the destruction of the ecosystem and the food pyramid of the lake.
The depth to the photic zone (depth of reach of sunlight) will contract to adversely affect the life in the
lake.

Further, even if a modern suction dredging technology is used, the region or a pond that collects the
slurry of mud after removal sand fraction will be quite large attracting scavenging birds and animals- a
local irritant and nuisance however short lived it is.

Obviously one pond is insufficient, as the plans are to separate water from the slurry to collect the mud for
sale to the red-brick industry. In fact a battery of ponds will be needed to handle and clarify the large
volumes of the mud slurry to ready the mud for sale. A problem which is part of the operation is wind
blowing over the mud spreading the mud particles and smell in the downstream regions of wind to the
dislike of the public and even can harm the very young and very old.

Then, what are the plans for handling the water used in the sand washing plant? Where ever this water is
headed, say the river or the canals or the farmlands, everywhere it will lead to one or other harmful
consequences, either to the water, or to the soil or both to air, water and soil. Are there any new
technologies easily available to counter such harms? Let us not ignore the fact that, the entire process is
to take place in the backyard of a population center. When many of the villagers in Plakkad depend on
tanker lorries for drinking water during part of the year, the government is toying with the idea of sand
washing and separation. What a paradox?

My own rough estimate tells me that if the mud is stacked in a tower of vertical walls, in a patch of land of
1.0 km2 area it shall reach a height of an eight storey building.. In other words, if you like, the stack would
rise to the height one storey in an area of 8.0 km2. As a gross estimate of sand in the sediment is only
15%, imagine the huge bulk of mud after washing and removal of sand fraction. Moreover, the water
seeping from stacks of mud would have high loads of dissolved chemicals whose environmental safety is
still an open question. We are unsure of the surprises this water might pose. Wise decision will be to
prevent this water from escaping into the surface or subsurface water sources of the region.

Therefore my earnest view is that before implementation of the desilting program, a research study needs
to be undertaken addressing the short-, medium- and long-term impacts to the civil society, soil, water
and air of the region around Palakkd. I propose a careful scientific scrutiny of impact on the a) lake and
life in the lake, b) sand separation and mud handling and storage before shipment, c) the region and
people around a 10.0 km radius of the center of operations and a cost benefit analysis on the basis of
proven reserve of sediment in the lake and all these with a fair degree of transparency.

Finally, my gut feeling is, as this lake takes at least another 150 yr to loose 50% of the storage, that we
leave the Malampuzha lake undisturbed, with which the Yakshi of Malampuzha garden will concur with.

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