Kuttanadu in Kerala, India is the lowest region of India, with 500 square kilometres of the region below sea level. Its elevation ranges from 0.6 m above to 2.2 metres below sea level. Most of the area is covered with water throughout the year. Kuttanadu is one of the few places in the world where farming is carried out below sea level. The region has a population of 1.8 million and comes under the Alappuzha district. Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം, — ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... The metre, or meter (US), is a measure of length. ... Alappuzha district and town in Kerala Alappuzha is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala in India. ...

Four major Kerala rivers, the Pampa, Meenachil, the Achankovil and the Manimala flow into Kuttanadu. Despite being surrounded by water, there are acute potable water shortages, with water supplied only twice a week. This article is about the lowland plains in South America. ... Meenachil is the name of the north-eastern region of Kottayam district in Kerala, south India. ... Drinking water This article focuses on water as we experience it every day. ...

Crops grown in Kuttanadu include rice, bananas, casava and yams. Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice is two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southern & southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans[1]. (The term wild rice can refer to wild species... Species Hybrid origin; see text Banana is the common name used for herbaceous plants in the genus Musa, which because of their size and structure, are often mistaken for trees. ... Binomial name Manihot esculenta Crantz The cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta; also yuca in Spanish, mandioca, aipim, or macaxeira in Portuguese, and mandio in Guaraní) is a woody perennial shrub of the spurge family, that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop for its edible starchy tuberous root. ... Yam is the common name for members of the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae). ...

Villages

A few of the major villages which form Kuttanadu are: Ramankarry,Kaipuzha, Kumarakom,Edathua,Mampuzhakkary,Neelamperoor, Kainadi, Kavalam, Pulincunnu , Veliyanadu,Vezhapra, Kunnamkaryy, Kidangara, Muttar, Neerettupuram, Thalavady,Changankarry, Champakkulam,Nedumudy, Moonnatummukham, Venattukad, Kayalppuram, Mankombu, Manalady, Koduppunna,Pullangadi etc. are some places in kuttanadu. Ramankarry is a place in the Kuttanad region of India, beside the Pamba River. ... Kaipuzha is a village, in Kottayam Distict, Kerala, South India. ... The village of Kumarakom is a cluster of little islands on the Vembanad Lake in Kerala, a state in India. ... Edathua is a famous place in Kuttanad, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. ... Mampuzhakkary is in surrounded by Pampa River in Malayalam NADI, South India. ... Kavalam is a village in Kuttanad, India, on the border of Alapuzha and Kottayam Districts. ... Pulincunnu is an island surrounded by the Pamba River in the state of Kerala, in southern India. ...

Thanneermukkam Bund

The major occupation in Kuttanadu is farming. Rice is the important agricultural product, giving Kuttanadu the monicker of "The Rice Bowl of Kerala". Three crops are grown every year now instead of the traditional two per year. Large farming areas near Vembanad Lake (Vembanadu Kayal) were actually reclaimed from the lake. The king decreed that whoever retains land can own it leading massive redemption of land from the lake. As the farming in the area increased farmers felt themselves constrained by the two cycles a year for rice cultivation. The reason for which is the availability of potable water in Kuttanadu. During the monsoon seasons, the water from the mountains flow through the rivers to the sea, bringing potable water to Kuttanadu. But during summer, due to the low level of the region, seawater enters Kuttanadu and makes the salt content of the water high making it unpotable. During 1968, government of India proposed a project, in which a bundh (Dam) will be made across the river so that seawater will not be allowed to come inside Kuttanad during summer, allowing farmers to cultivate and extra cycle per year. The project was planned in three phases, the south side, the north side and another phase to join the two sections. The project was delayed and by the time the first two phases were complete the entire money alloted for the project ran out and left the final phase in limbo. The farmers who were expecting lots of financial benefits after the completion of the project decided to take matters into their own hands and one night in 1972, a large group of farmers filled the gap between the north and the south side with earth. To this day, the earth embankment between the two sections of the bundh remains. Location of Vembanad lake, Kerala Vembanad Lake (Vembanad Kayal or Vembanad Kol) is the largest lake in Kerala, India. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Scrivener Dam, in Canberra, Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

Eventhough the bund has improved the quality of life of the farmers, the bund is alleged to have caused severe environmental problems. The backwaters which were abundant with fish and part of the staple food of the people of the region require a small amount of salt water for their breeding. The bund has caused deterioration of the catch of fish in the region and the fishermen are opposed to the bund as of 2005. The bund has also disrupted the harmony of the sea with the backwaters and has caused problems not foreseen before the bundh like the omniprescence of the water weeds. Earlier the salt water tends to cleanse the backwaters but this does not happen any more leading to the pollution of the backwaters and the entire land nearby. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Thirst Below Sea Level, M Suchitra, The Hindu, 2003-07-15
• Alappuzha, Kerala, India, kvves.com, Important places, Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi
• [1]WAVES KUTTANADU