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12 Jan 05 Banana palms suuccumb, coconut trees untouched IST THRISSUR: The tsunami has brought about a sea change not only in the lives of several people but also the flora in the coastal areas in south Kerala. This is what a seven-member team of scientists from Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), Vellanikkara, found during their week-long visit to the badly affected areas like Andhakaranazhi in Alappuzha district and Alappad panchayat in Kollam district. The KAU team found that several plants suffered badly due to the changes caused by the tsunami in the coastal environment, while many others displayed remarkable tenacity in surviving the vagaries. Some flora were found to have completely withered away, even as others in the same locality remained unaffected. ``One of the objectives of the visit was to find out which plants had shown resistance and which had not. We found that banana palms had been very badly hit in the region. The other affected flora include bread-fruit,'' C.K.Peethambaran, Director of Research, KAU, who led the team, said. Yet another interesting finding was that the leaves of some trees, notably jack fruit and mango, which are common in Kerala, had started falling in the days following the tsunami disaster. ``Whether the phenomenon would end soon and things would return to normal is to be seen,'' he said. The team also found many common flora without any signs of impact due to the environmental changes. For instance, Coconut trees stood like a rock, comparatively resistant to the changes. Thesticea (Poovarasu) was another species that was found to be resistant. But notable among the plants that had remained unaffected were mangroves, once abundant in the coastal areas. ``All varieties of mangroves were found to have resisted the calamity,'' Peethambaran pointed out. The microbial levels and the pH differences in the affected areas are also being put under the microscope. The team's findings will be studied in detail before preparing a write-up, which will include possibilities of reclaiming wells and inundated paddy fields, K.V.Peter, Vice-Chancellor of the university, said. ``Sea water entering the coastal areas is not a new phenomenon in Kerala. It's the scale of the event that is without precedent and which requires study,'' he said. links Related articles on Tsunami and the environment |
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