Excessive sand accumulation at the Kadalundikkadavu bridge estuary in Kozhikode has narrowed the Kadalundi River, disrupting tidal flows, burying mangroves, and decimating fish stocks, clams, and migratory bird habitats while stalling ecotourism ferries. Sand mining, banned since 2014 in areas like Kadalundikkadavu, previously maintained river depth, but its halt allowed wave-deposited sand to build massive bars, worsened by upstream bunds and infrastructure like the Tirur-Ponnani road. This ongoing crisis endangers the Kadalundi-Vallikunnu Community Reserve, Kerala’s first such protected area, highlighting urgent needs for dredging and community-led restoration.
Kadalundi-Vallikunnu: Kerala’s Pioneer Community Reserve
Declared in 2007, this 153.84-hectare reserve spans Kozhikode and Malappuram, encompassing mangroves, mudflats, and islands like Company Thuruthu, managed jointly by Kadalundi and Vallikunnu panchayats under Kerala Forest Department oversight. It boasts 110 waterfowl species including 53 migrants 326 plants (168 medicinal), 38 butterflies, diverse reptiles, and serves as a coastal fishery nursery, earning Important Bird Area status with Ramsar potential. Biotic pressures like overfishing, oyster collection, and urban waste dumping compound natural threats, yet post-reserve mangrove expansion shows community efforts’ promise.
Roots of the Sandbank Problem: Natural and Human Factors
Sandbars form from upstream sand washed by saltwater intrusion bunds, low river flow, and obstructed sea-river exchange due to roads and jetties, burying Avicennia marina roots and shrinking mudflats critical for shorebirds. Kerala’s Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulations on Removal of Sand Act, 2001, bans mining in sensitive zones like Kadalundi (Malappuram stretch), with recent audits restricting it in 15 rivers including this one for three years amid environmental clearances. Plastic pollution along bars during low tide further pollutes land and water, accelerating ecosystem decline without intervention.
Devastating Impacts on Biodiversity and Local Lives
- Mangrove Dieback: Sand buries roots, causing widespread atrophy in the five mangrove species, reducing carbon sinks and coastal buffers.
- Aquatic Decline: Fish diversity drops from altered salinity and flow; clams vanish, harming traditional fisheries in this edge-effect rich estuary blending fresh, brackish, and marine waters.
- Bird Habitats Shrink: Mudflat sedimentation limits prey for migrants, with recent reports noting vanishing shorebirds despite thriving mangroves.
- Tourism and Economy Hit: Ferry services from ecotourism centers halt at low tide, depriving visitors of experiences and cutting panchayat incomes from boating and crafts.
Past and Present Conservation Efforts
A National Biodiversity Authority-directed expert panel including panchayat, CMFRI, fisheries, mining, and roads departments studied estuary dredging, but follow-up stalls despite directives. Kerala’s 2025 sand mining resumption under new guidelines (post-2021-2024 audits) allows “restricted” operations in 16 rivers with District Survey Reports, but Kadalundi remains banned, prioritizing ecology. Community reserves emphasize participatory management against urbanization, with calls for research on sandbar causes and restoration planting.
Call to Action: Safeguarding Kozhikode’s Estuarine Gem
Kozhikode’s Kadalundi embodies Malabar’s rich heritage, from migratory spectacles to culinary seafood traditions, but demands swift government-panchayat coordination for sustainable dredging and monitoring. Support ecotourism responsibly, advocate for updated audits, and push for Ramsar tagging to amplify protections. This crisis tests Kerala’s balance of development and nature act now to preserve it for future generations.
Read more at: https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2025/12/04/kadalundikkadavu-bridge-estuary-sandbank.html