File picture of members of the Vazahathuruthi Residents Association assessing the encroachment into Kottooli wetlands
| Photo Credit: K Ragesh

Tension is brewing in the Vazhathurthi area near the Sarovaram Biopark in Kozhikode once again after the workers of the Sarovaram Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi and the Vazhathuruthi Residents’ Association successfully stopped an attempt to continue the landfilling of Kottooli wetlands adjacent to a school compound.

The workers noticed on Saturday (May 17, 2025)afternoon that the concrete that covers the courtyard of the school was being removed using an earthmover and being dumped into the wetland. This is the same area where they had spotted ongoing landfilling in November 2024 and obtained an order from the Kerala high court to maintain status quo.

“The school authorities claimed that they were only removing the concrete to lay tiles in the courtyard. However, we could see that more construction waste was dumped alongside the building in the wetland, where landfilling was carried out earlier. There were also tyremarks of the earthmover leading to the wetlands”, said P.M. Jeejabai Secretary of the Vazhathuruthy Residents Association, that has been active in checking the ongoing landfilling of Kottooly wetlands at Vazhathuruthi.

While the local people assembled and questioned the school management over the actions, the Revenue Department confiscated the earthmover.

A team of officials led by Village Officer-in charge P. Dhanya of the Vengeri Village reached the spot and noted that the landfilling was indeed a violation of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008.

Meanwhile, the Samithi is planning to approach the District Collector with a petition under the Right to Information Act in connection with the disappearance of another earthmover, which was confiscated by the Revenue Department and stored in one of the compounds in the locality. The earthmover, which was confiscated in November 2024 after it was allegedly used to destroy mangroves in the wetlands, was reportedly stolen on Friday night. “They had destroyed CCTVs in our locality so that we could not know where it was taken to”, Ms. Jeejabai said.