Munroe Thuruthu: The sinking island of Kerala

A recent study revealed anthropogenic interventions as the main reason for the plight of Munroe Thuruthuresidents, Kerala’s first set of climate refugees.

• Munroe Thuruthu  is slowly going under water
• Munroe Island is located 27 km away from the heart of Kollam. 
• It is a string of eight islets at the confluence of the Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada river. 
• The island’s decline began with the construction of the Thenmala dam. 
• Located 70 km away and constructed in the 1960s under the Kallada Irrigation Project, the dam blocked the flow of fresh water as a result of sediments from the Kallada river — the main determinant of the land’s fertility. 
• Today the whole area has turned saline