Kannapuram Azheekal Estuary

India / Kerala / Kannapuram /
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As ecosystems, this is one of the estuaries that is under threat from human activities such as pollution and overfishing. This is also threatened by sewage, coastal settlement, land clearance and much more. Estuaries are affected by events far upstream, and concentrate materials such as pollutants and sediments. Land run-off and industrial, agricultural, and domestic waste enter rivers and are discharged into estuaries. Contaminants can be introduced which do not disintegrate rapidly in the marine environment, such as plastics, pesticides, furans, dioxins, phenols and heavy metals.
Such toxins can accumulate in the tissues of many species of aquatic life.
Industrial pollutants, such as phenols and heavy metals, can devastate fish stocks and damage the estuary soil.
Estuaries tend to be naturally eutrophic because land runoff discharges nutrients into estuaries. With human activities, land run-off also now includes the many chemicals used as fertilizers in agriculture as well as waste from livestock and humans. Excess oxygen depleting chemicals in the water can lead to hypoxia and the creation of dead zones. It can result in reductions in water quality, fish, and other animal populations.
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Coordinates:   11°56'34"N   75°17'45"E

Comments

  • nice and elaborate
  • Mr. Binoy, Good work. i think this estuary area extends both ways, into the sea and into the joining river. so the represented area should be extended to include it. I have been researching these areas since the last 20 years. Mr. Binoy, try to include pictures. Have a nice day Mr. Binoy.
  • Dear Thomas Pratt, thanks for the tip. I have tried to mark the salt and fresh water area on both side. Will put the pictures soon. Many thanks.
  • very informative! I used it for my science project.
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This article was last modified 12 years ago