Kasaragod District

The national conclave on food held on March 15, 2019 at New Delhi saw experts urge policy changes to promote sustainable food production especially organic farming as well as regulations to reduce misuse of antibiotics and pesticides.

Endosulfan, a pesticide, has been banned in Kerala after its adverse effects were first realised in 1981.

Madakas are manmade structures for storing rainwater that was abundantly prevalent in Kasargod District of Kerala. Pallas on the contrary, were similar structures but not man made. Pallas and Madakas met the water requirements of the settlements around these structures. 

This successful effort made by teachers from Kasargod district to convert sixteen acres of barren land on a hill behind the school into a lush, green forest with thick patches of vegetation demonstrates how persistence and a deep commitment to bring about positive improvements in the environment through community effort can

Madakas are one of the fast disappearing traditional rainwater harvesting structures found in the laterite belts of Karnataka and Kerala. They are naturally occuring depressions with high terrain on the three sides where water from the surrounding laterite slopes, mainly runoff from the rains, is accumulated.

Surangas continue to be one of the relatively less known and gradually disappearing traditional water harvesting systems of Kasargod district, Kerala and are being gradually replaced by borewells to meet the water needs of the community. 

Case Studies on Groundwater Management from Indiatogether.org

• The unique water tunnel of Sheni
• A stream resumes year-round flow
• Mining away the river
• A 'Gurukula' for surangas
• IN PICTURES - Surangas, manmade caves to tap underground water
• Don't dig down

Waternama is a collection of traditional practices for water conservation and management in Karnataka. The book is produced by Communication for Development and Learning and edited by Sandhya Iyengar.
View/download the full book (29.2 MB)

"Plenty on the roof", is a case study written by Shree Padre in August 2005, of how a district panchayat office in Kerala, used rainwater harvesting not just to overcome shortages in piped supply, but to tap the overhead source, so that no other source was needed.