PATHANAMTHITTA (Kerala) | Sept 09, 2015: D. Padmalal, senior scientist attached to Centre for Earth Science Studies, says the mud banks in river Pampa are nothing but parts of the original riverbed and not any fresh deposit.
The mud banks constitute the balance sheet of the indiscriminate illegal sand mining from the river over the past three to four decades. Salinity intrusion owing to lowering of the riverbed was detected even in the upper reaches of Aranmula, badly affecting the riverine ecosystem in the recent past.
Experts say that even the bridges across the river are facing collapse threat with drastic erosion of sand from their well foundation.
(Source: http://www.thehindu.com/)