THE GREAT DELUGES OF 1341 AND 1924 AND SIGNIFICANCE OF FLOOD PLANNING

Due to great deluge in River Periyar the ancient port town of Muziris in Malabar Coast, which is depicted in every known map of antiquity, disappeared suddenly and without a trace. It was presumably because of a cataclysmic event in 1341, in the River Periyar that altered the geography of the region. A new land mass accreted suddenly on the western coast from Kodungallur to Alleppy. The flood water breached the land mass, between the present Fortcochin and Vypeen, and opened up the present Cochin Estuary or ‘Kochazy’ and harbour and helped in the formation of Vembanad backwater. The Islands located on the northern side of Cochin estuary is popularly known as the Vypeen Islands changed access to the River Periyar. It was only the most spectacular of the geological changes and land formation that have been going on in that area from time immemorial. A geophysical survey of the region has shown that 200–300 years ago the shoreline lay about three kilometers east of the present coast and that some 2,000 years earlier it lay even further east, about 6.5 km inland and in those days Trippunithura, Kaduthuruthy, Athirampuxha, Kottayam, Changanassery and Edathwa were small port towns on that stretch of coastline. If Muziris had been situated somewhere here in Roman times, the coast at that time would have run some 4-5 km east of its present line. The regular silting up of the river mouth finally forced it to cease activity as a port.

The Great flood of July 1924, or the popularly known flood of 99, which occurred in 1099 ME in the Malayalam Calendar, when Rivers Periyar, Meenachil,  Pampa, and others originating from Sahyadri Mountains and hills flooded in Kerala state, South India. The rain continued for about three weeks. Many districts of the present day Kerala were deeply submerged in water by this flood – From Trichur to Ernakulam; from Idukki to Kottayam and even up to Alappuzha including Kuttanad region. Even a huge mountain called Karinthiri Malai was washed away by this flood and the road to Munnar also vanished along with it. As the road to Munnar was lost by this flood, a new road from Ernakulam to Munnar became necessary. The present day road from Ernakulam to Munnar was constructed after this event.

 The old generation of Kerala believes that the cause of this great flood was a major breach of the Mullaperiyar Dam. That is why the flood was so powerful, even at Munnar, and tore apart even a mountain as big as Karinthiri. The breach of Mullaperiyar occurred 29 years after the dam was constructed. At that time, there was no other Dam in the region and there is no other possible reason that can be attributed for such a destructive flood.

The devastating flood claimed thousands of lives, animals and birds, and caused severe damages to buildings, roads and other structures, and heavy damages to crops in Kerala. Most of the areas in the erst-while Travancore and Cochin states and parts of Malabar region were submerged under the flood water. In Munnar around 485 cm of rain fall was reported during the flood and wide spread destruction occurred. Kundala Valley Railway, one of the first narrow gauge railway lines constructed at Munnar was completely destroyed by the flood waters.

This flood is still a fearful memory with the old generation still alive in Kerala - most of them were kids then. Also, as a historical touch of this flood, the church-records in most ancient churches were also damaged by this flood. So, in almost all ancient churches, the church records start only from 1924 AD.

Floods can also bring many benefits, such as recharging ground water, making soil more fertile and increasing nutrients in some soils. Flood waters kills pests in the farming land. Flooding can spread nutrients to lakes and rivers, which can lead to increased biomass and improved fisheries for a few years.

For some fish species, an inundated flood plain may form a highly suitable location for spawning with few predators and enhanced levels of nutrients or food.  Bird populations may also profit from the boost in food production caused by flooding.

In the changing scenario of enhanced population, culture and civilization it is significant for the state to focus their attention on flood safety planning. Now people are more dependent on electrical power and potable water supply. Floods also frequently damage power transmission and sometimes power generation, which then has knock-on effects caused by the loss of power. This includes loss of drinking water treatment and water supply, which may result in loss of drinking water or severe water contamination. It may also cause the loss of sewage disposal facilities. Lack of clean water combined with human sewage in the flood waters raises the risk of waterborne diseases, which can include typhoid, cholera and many other diseases depending upon the location of the flood. Damage to roads and transport infrastructure may make it difficult to mobilize aid to those affected or to provide emergency health treatment. Flood waters typically inundate farm land, making the land unworkable and preventing crops from being planted or harvested, which can lead to shortages of food both for humans and farm animals. Entire harvests for a country can be lost in extreme flood circumstances. Some tree species may not survive prolonged flooding of their root systems. Floods may cause food shortages leading to price increases as well.

 Flood forecasting and flood warning too are important. Critical safety facilities, such as hospitals, emergency-operations centers, and police, fire, and rescue services, should be built in risk prone areas of flooding.

Excerpts from

 MEMOIRS

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com

REVIEW THE LAW RELATING TO PROHIBITIION OF CHILD MARRIAGES

          A century ago, people in our country firmly followed the age old customs and traditions of getting married when still young; to be more specific, before or immediately after they attained puberty. My paternal grandparents, Oli Thressiamma and Oli Ousepachan, got married at the age of 12 and 15 respectively. Same was the case with my maternal grandparents, Elykutty and N.J. Chacko Neerakal who were 8 and 15 years old respectively when they got married. They had their first child when she was 19. All their children were healthy, good-looking and brilliant. This was the general trend in families throughout the country. Most young people, especially girls, are physically and psychologically ready to get married as soon as they attain puberty. The norm that was widely followed was, “the earlier the marriage the better.”

          As I understand it, child marriage has a number of advantages. Being young, the couple understands each other better; both of them have the benefit of growing and learning together, adapting to new surroundings and situations, making them extremely compatible with each other. This makes the transition of adjusting into the spouse’s house a much easier process. It is easier to create a family when one is young. In their close affinity, there is hardly any room for confrontation. I have never seen my grandparents fighting each other. Since they take up responsibilities at a very early age, they tend to be more serious about life and plan their future accordingly.

          This can be set against the lifestyle of single men and women, who (in most cases) are more laid back, giving them extra time on their hands to engage in past times such as smoking, drinking and taking drugs, under the pretext of “enjoying” life; following the misconstrued ruse of being “cool.”

People who oppose child marriage would say that it would adversely affect girl’s education, personal development, job prospects and personal income and childbearing goals. Some argue that she might be pulled out of school, and separated from her peers. I disagree that early marriage would keep people from studying and/or building a career. If there is a will there is a way. Young couples manage to combine studying at the university, having a family and even children. If you have the desire, determination, dedication and devotion nothing could prevent you from getting higher education. Another case that is widely argued is that child bearing at a young age leads to high rates of maternal and child mortality. However, this stand is not justified in the present scenario, where medical attention in various disciplines is available in every nook and corner of our country.

The youngsters of our country suppress their innate sexual drives. When you get married late; you won't get those years back. Little do they realize that there are many other significant things to achieve in life? The cleverer a person becomes the more difficult for him/her to find a partner in life. It is not easy to live together if two people have two completely different, even contradictory views on life. Furthermore, a woman’s chances of getting pregnant decrease as she grows older. When a woman crosses thirty, infertility issues are almost doubled.

Virginity is sexual abstinence until marriage. Historically, premarital sex was considered a moral issue which was taboo in many cultures and considered a sin by a number of religions, but since about the 1960s, it has become more widely accepted, especially in western countries. Arousal of sex is a natural hunger, a biological necessity. I have heard people say, “Morality is lack of opportunity.” In western countries, dating is very common. They enjoy sex from a very young age. Their youngsters leave their parental homes and move into dormitories when they attain puberty. In case a boy/girl doesn’t have a girl/boy friend; their parents are anxious and they would take their child to a psychologist. But modern relationships are much more complicated; people date more partners before settling down; cohabitate and procreate without getting married; and might marry later in life when they are sure that they won’t desert each other. It is astounding to note that at present a majority of the young Americans below 35 years are unmarried.

It is always advisable to take some marital counseling courses before getting engaged and married to someone. Sex education programs are now available to teach the youngsters about reproductive health, safer sex practices, sexual abstinence and birth control. It will help you to avert teenage pregnancies and other problems in life. Marriage is not a bed of roses. Couples should be ready to make adjustments and accommodations and should be prepared to share their joys and sorrows to make their life a success. It is significant to bear in mind that “life is a stage in which much has to be endured and little to be enjoyed.”

Awakening of sex, sexual intercourse and masturbation are quite natural. It’s healthy and perfectly normal. I have observed it not only in human beings but in other mammals as well, and it is unnatural to control it. We have to realize the fact that sexual relationship is not a sin at all and it is a biological necessity. There are only two unpardonable crimes in the code of sexual conduct, rape and telling of lies or breach of promise. Christianity teaches sexual relationships as abhorrence, crime or sin. They say that sexual relationship, masturbation and the child born out of a wed lock too is the result of sin. Their teachings are absurd and against the Rules of Mother Nature.

Christianity further teaches that the blemishes or sin has to be cleansed by a sacrament (a sacred ceremony of reparation, penance, compensation, self-punishments, atonement or apology) namely baptism. The sacraments are invented and introduced during various periods to extract money from the blind believers and the church discourages their independent thinking in order to exploit them. Zoroastrianism originally invented the theory of heaven and hell as a means of income or livelihood for their hereditary priests. Mithraism too adopted it and Mithraism ultimately merged in Christianity. It is pertinent to note that there are neither intermediaries nor sacraments in Islam, another offshoot of Judaism.

          Delayed marriages and suppression of sex is a curse of the Indian society, and is a major reason for many of the problems that surface in Indian society. The innate urge of immature children to experiment with the new found changes in one’s body due to puberty, is often exploited by relatives, friends, pimps and other rich and influential people in society  including politicians, top officials in the executive and the judiciary; and affluent grand old Muslim men from abroad arriving for muta-marriages. I was astounded when the media pointed out that in some cases, the rape victim’s own parents were the ones involved in such heinous crimes. It can be concluded that half of India’s problems can be solved if children get married at the right time.

          No doubt, the best age for having your first baby is roughly when you are twenty years old. In such circumstances there would be a fourth generation in most families. The main advantage here is that in the extreme event of both parents dying prematurely or in the case of  divorce, there would always be grandparents or great-grandparents to look after the children; the children won’t become orphans; a burden on society.

A girl child attains puberty at her young age of thirteen or earlier and the boy at the age of 15 or little later. It is beyond human reasoning. There may be slight areas of dispute in the matter of child marriages, which has to be ignored. Beyond his limitations, man tries to create a new order in society and nature, thinking that he is the master. He never realizes the fact that the Acts and Rules he is making is contradictory to the Rules of Mother Nature. Like our parents and grandparents did, children should be married before they attain puberty. Otherwise there would naturally be outbreak of sex and rich and influential people in the society would exploit young children. It is not fair or proper for the Parliament to interfere with the personal freedom and privacy of individuals and it is against the Rule of Nature to fix a minimum age of  18 and 21 for marriage. Marriageable age does not come within the realm of the parliament. Let wisdom dawn on Parliament to review the prohibition of child marriage and make necessary amendments in this regard.

Excerpts from

 MEMOIRSR

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com