Parangipettai (Porto Novo), 200 km south of Chennai is a sleepy village on the banks of Vellar Estuary close to the Bay of Bengal. Many people in Tamil Nadu had not heard about this village before the devastating tsunami waves struck the State in December 2004. Villages in Parangipettai stood like the Rock of Gibraltar even as the devouring tidal waves claimed thousands of lives elsewhere in the State.
The mangrove seedlings planted in early 1990s by K Kathiresan, then a young assistant professor at the Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology (CASMB), Annamalai University, had grown into thick and lush green mangrove forests by 2004 and stood as a bio-shield against the surging waves , which according to the villagers were more than three meters in height. More than 1,000 persons residing in these four villages and their houses remained safe as the mighty tsunami waves got shattered by nature’s own “green shield”.
“I planted these mangroves in this barren shore of the Vellar Estuary as a diversion for the students. They had no other means of entertainment after the day long classes. Cuddalore, the nearest town was 25 km away and bus services were few in numbers. The ‘young’ mangrove plants constituted a garden. Students helped me to plant more seedlings,” explained Dr Kathiresan, who rose to become the director of CASMB.
By early 2000, Kathiresan and his students had something to be happy about. Fishermen in Annankoil village told him that the catch from the estuary, especially the areas dotted with mangroves, has gone up manifold. “We started getting crabs, shrimps and prawns from this region. It was only because of the mangrove forests,” said Pakkiri Mohammed, a fisherman from the village. The mangroves has made their life more prosperous, according to Dr S M Raffi, a marine biologists and oceanography scientist.
“The mangrove forests panted by us had become a breeding ground and nursery for a vast variety of fin and shell fish,” said Dr Raffi, an assistant professor and research guide in CASMB. He said mangroves augmented the fish diversity and density and this resulted in the strengthening of the livelihood of our fishermen friends,” Raffi told The Pioneer.
But the biggest surprise turned out to be the tsunami waves of 2004. “No houses or other properties were damaged in areas guarded by the mangroves. The tsunami waves found the mangroves a strong and unassailable fortress,” explained Prof Kathiresan. He said he got the seedlings from the mangroves from nearby Pitchavaram . “I myself understood the efficacy of the mangroves when I visited Orissa in the aftermath of the super cyclone in 1999. I found that regions protected by mangroves remained safe from the fury of the cyclone while other areas got completely destroyed. What I saw in such areas were hundreds of dead bodies,” reminiscences Dr Kathiresan.
“The roots of mangroves are strong while the stems are flexible. The roots and stems of the mangroves acted as wind breakers and natural sea wall. They reduced the velocity of the deadly waves,” said Kathiresan. With the reporting of the ‘miracle plants’ in scientific journals, the United Nations itself came forward seeking the expertise of Kathiresan and his research scholars in helping other south Asian and South East Asian nations to plant mangroves. “Under the auspices of the United Nations University, we organise annual training programmes to trainers from countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Sri lanka in mangrove management,” said Kathiresan.
In addition to protection from tsunami waves and cyclones, it has been scientifically proved that mangroves help in mitigating carbon dioxide emission, environmental pollution and soil erosion.
According to latest findings, mangroves in Parangipettai has become a favourite spot of migratory birds. Even as the nation is getting to prepare the tenth anniversary of the devastating tsunami, Parangipettai and surrounding areas are cool towards any further threat of tsunamis. “More than anything, mangroves are feast to the eyes,” said Sirat-un- Montaha S Shaikh, a M Sc in marine bio technology student.
Kathiresan has developed a new and unique variety of mangrove as a tribute to the hundreds of thousands who perished in the 2004 tsunami waves. “It is named Rhizophora Annamalaiana in honour of our University,” said Kathiresan.