Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 25 -- Writer and environmental activist C. Rahim has called for bringing the river and its surrounding ecosystems under a single administrative department in Kerala.
At present, rivers in Kerala come under the jurisdiction of several departments, including Revenue, Forest, and Water Resources, which, he said, has become a major obstacle to their effective protection.
"For meaningful conservation, the river must be treated as a single living ecosystem, not divided under different authorities," Rahim said.
He explained that riparian forests-the green belts along riverbanks are integral parts of the ecosystem. These forests are essential for the purification of river water and for sustaining the biodiversity of aqua...