Fri Sep 19 14:41:09 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

Kozhikode district in Kerala, India, has initiated a digital mapping project of its rivulets and streams. This effort, supported by the Haritha Keralam Mission, aims to address water conservation and pollution issues. The mapping will document the current condition of water bodies, incorporating public feedback, and provide data for government planning and conservation efforts. Concerns raised by residents regarding quarrying and its impact on water sources will also be assessed. Previous mapping efforts have identified overuse of water and low water quality as contributors to water shortages. Similar initiatives have mapped wetlands across the state.

**News Article:**

**Kozhikode Embarks on Digital Mapping of Waterways to Combat Water Scarcity and Pollution**

**Kozhikode, India – September 19, 2025** – In a bid to bolster water conservation and combat pollution, Kozhikode district in Kerala has launched a comprehensive digital mapping project of its rivulets and streams. The initiative, spearheaded by the Haritha Keralam Mission, aims to create a detailed inventory of the region’s small waterbodies and develop targeted conservation strategies.

The Kunnamangalam block panchayat is the initial focus of the project, which officials say is urgently needed due to the degradation of vital water sources. “The absence of proper mapping and a subsequent conservation plan has resulted in the decline of several small waterbodies, many of which support local drinking water supplies,” explained a grama panchayat official. “Several rivulets have already dried up due to waste dumping and rampant pollution.”

The digital mapping will document the current state of each rivulet, incorporating input from local communities. The project aims to create a comprehensive list of both active and dried-up water bodies, which will then be shared with relevant government departments to inform the planning and implementation of conservation and pollution control measures.

Local communities in villages like Karassery and Thottumukkam have expressed concerns about the impact of quarrying on water sources. The survey will include scientific assessments to determine the actual causes behind the disappearance of some of the region’s oldest water sources.

“If any major threats are identified, the findings will be forwarded to the higher authorities for further action,” said a State-level coordinator of Haritha Keralam Mission projects. He added that mapping of waterbodies has already become a mandatory exercise across the State in response to climate change trends and related threats.

This initiative follows previous mapping efforts in 2017, which highlighted overuse of water and poor water quality as key factors contributing to drinking water shortages in the district. Kerala is also undertaking broader efforts to map wetlands across the state in collaboration with the Kerala Remote Sensing and Environment Centre. The State Wetland Authority of India, had led to the creation of a digital inventory and the uploading of details to a dedicated central government portal for further actions.

The project is expected to provide crucial data to guide water management strategies and protect these vital resources for future generations.

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