Abstract:
The Vembanad wetlands of Kerala State in India has many mutually conflicting water and land use functions like flood control, pollution control, biodiversity, agriculture, inland navigation and tourism. A number of artificial interventions on the water system lead to the environmental degradation of wetlands; increased flood proneness and water pollution are two major adverse impacts. Water depth, flow patterns, and duration and frequency of flooding, which are the result of all the hydrologic inputs and outputs, influence the wetland processes. In this study, hydrology of Vembanad wetlands is characterized in terms of the river flow patterns to the system and its variability, sediment loads, seasonal water level variations, and overall water balance of the system. The study shows that the floods in the region are slow rising and attain peak in a few days. River flows are the major water inputs to the wetlands and thus contribute major part of the outflows to the Arabian sea. Storage and optimal utilization of the river flows is essential for future water resources development in river basins and to sustain the different functions of the wetlands.
