A naturally growing rich mangrove forest along both sides of the railway causeway through the Paravur lake between Mayyanad and Paravur railway stations have been felled. No clear reason has been given for clearing the mangrove forest which stands in a Coastal Regulatory Zone.

The development comes at a time when the Railways have announced being eco-friendly while taking up development projects. Railway land in Kerala has rich mangrove coverage in several areas, especially in the northern parts of the State. The Paravur lake area has thick mangrove forests on railway land.

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Mr. Ratnakumar who is one of the founders of the energy conservation and energy conservation club movements in the State, said that the recent fall in prices of solar power equipments, wind turbines and associated machineries together with the emerging smart grid technologies will catalyse full utilisation of renewable energy sources in the coming years.

A three-day survey in the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary has recorded 176 species of butterflies.

Not to accept such crops from this month

KOLLAM: Tests conducted by the material testing laboratory at the TKM College of Engineering here have found that sand mined from Ashtamudi Lake is unfit for construction because of its high saline content.

Contractors in the district have been rampantly using sand mined from the lake for building works.

KOLLAM: Even as it is feared that Sasthamcotta Lake is shrinking to death, a recent study by the Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) brings the relief that the State's largest freshwater lake is not in danger of extinction.

The study submitted to the State government shows that water level of the lake fell to alarming levels in 2004 and 2009.

KOLLAM: For almost 30 years a sewerage network laid for the western parts of Kollam city had been lying idle and forgotten. No one remembers the exact cost at which it was laid. But now, a scheme has been evolved to assess whether the network can be utilised. The Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is promoting the revival scheme.

Traditional fishermen will demand a total ban on the use of the high horsepower Chinese engines by fishing vessels at a meeting called by Fisheries Minister S. Sarma in Kochi on Wednesday.

President of the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation T. Peter told The Hindu that fishing permit should not be given to vessels fitted with engines imported from China.