By,

NISSI RACHEL BABU

43 : SEM VIII : M.CAP
THE IMPACT OF FLOODS OF 2018 ON THE CULTURAL NATURAL
HERITAGE IN KERALA

• A study based on Current stage of Cultural-Natural Heritage in disaster affected

areas.

AIM

• The study aims to understand how a natural disaster can affect a cultural-natural
heritage taking Aranmula as the live case study.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY

• Steps taken in order to face a natural disaster in a cultural-natural heritage zone in

future.

OBJECTIVE

1. Understand cultural natural heritage of Aranmula and its importance

2. The impact of flood on cultural natural heritage of Aranmula

3. Preventive measures for conserving the cultural- natural heritage

 Understand cultural natural
Books, Documentations,
heritage of Aranmula and its
Reports,
importance
DATA
COLLECTION

THE IMPACT OF The impact of flood on

Reports, Documentations,
ARANMULA CULTURAL cultural natural heritage of
Interviews, Photographs, DATA
NATURAL HERITAGE Aranmula
DURING KERALA ANALYSES
FLOODS 2018

Preventive measures for CONCLUSION

Reports, Documentations,
conserving the cultural-
Interviews,
natural heritage
• Heritage is an integral part of
understanding the essence of a
community.

• The cultural and natural heritage of

the area defines the basic fibres of
understanding the essence of a
community which has evolved over
time.
Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and
passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects,
artistic expressions and values. Cultural Heritage is often expressed as either Intangible
or Tangible Cultural Heritage (ICOMOS, 2002). Cultural Heritage can be distinguished
in:

 Built Environment (Buildings, Townscapes, Archaeological remains)

 Natural Environment (Rural landscapes, Coasts and shorelines, Agricultural

heritage)

 Artefacts (Books & Documents, Objects, Pictures)

Natural heritage refers to the sum total of the elements of biodiversity, including flora
and fauna, ecosystems and geological structures. Heritage is that which is inherited
from past generations, maintained in the present, and bestowed to future generations.
Catastrophes like floods or other natural
disasters threaten to destroy the very
basis of this essence.

The floods have destroyed the beautiful

natural and cultural heritage of Aranmula
in different ways.

• The buildings and other structures

have also been destroyed due to the
effects of 2018 floods.
• The palliyodams for the famous • The workshops of aranmula kannadi
aranmula vallomkali have also been have been destroyed in the floods.
destroyed.
• Due to the right time response of the
rescue work and the coordination by the
government we have faced the disaster
with this much lessened effect.
• Emergency management limits upto only
10% to lessen the effect of disaster if it’s
done after the disaster.
• Whereas 90% of the work to be done in
order to limit the effect of disaster should
be done as preventive measures before any
calamities occur.
• As per the data produced by India
Meteorological Department,
rainfall in Kerala is about 300mm
to 50mm from October to
November.

• The monsoon season and the

floods or other disasters happens
every year and therefore we
should be prepared for it in the
coming years.
Most of the causes happen due to our lack
of notice, such as

• Construction of building structures in

flood prone areas-low lying areas or
environmental sensitive areas can also
be seen.

• We are building structures that stops/hinders the natural water flow

• Which leaves them no other chance but to find another way to flow
• That leads in destruction of many other areas and building structures.
• With respect to the proposal told by K.Soman, Senior scientist regarding these facts
is that we should not built houses or any other permanent or liveable structures in
such hazard prone areas, rather we have crop cultivation there.

• Mark flood lines across land areas and stop building structures beyond the flood
lines. We should provide water ways for or ample amount of space for the natural
streams to flow through.
• Meteorological Data can be used by the Government to
make a proposal for building development scheme for a
hundread years. There should be a continuous climatic
study to take place with respect to being cautious always.

• Eg: the Parthasaradhi temple is built in a raised platform

by marking the water level rise from older floods.
The need of the study was to understand the steps taken in order to face a
natural disaster like flood in a natural cultural heritage zone of Kerala in
future.

For that we have taken Aranmula, a natural-cultural heritage area for our case

study.

We analysed the area that got affected by the 2018 Kerala floods and
understood that the structural buildings that are built in low lying areas and
flood prone areas have wholly or partly been submerged in water during the
flood.
The main culture of Aranmula includes the Aranmula kannadi and the Aranmula
vallomkali.

Because of the flood that occurred, the kannadi workshops have been destroyed and
also the surrounding land also been polluted leading the Kannadi makers with lack of
resources (soil) to make the Kannadis.

Also most of the Palliyoda puras have been washed off and some Palliyodams have
been destroyed beyond repair.

Most of these structures are built near the Pamba river and in the low lying area which
lead to the maximum destruction. Therefore construction of building structures could
be in higher land or above flood lines.
 ICOMOS, International Cultural Tourism Charter. Principles And Guidelines For
Managing Tourism At Places Of Cultural And Heritage Significance. ICOMOS
International Cultural Tourism Committee.
2002. http://www.cultureindevelopment.nl/Cultural_Heritage/

 Swati Gupta. (16 August 2018).Introduction and Data Collection.CNN. "Kerala

floods: Red alert issued as death toll rises in Indian state".

 www.manoramaonline.com/local

 Geetika Mantri . (14 september 2018).Data Collection. The News Minute.

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/how-much-keralas-heritage-has-been-
damaged-floods-experts-begin-survey-88347

 http://www.aranmula.net/
 Essays, UK. (November 2018). The Importance of Heritage Conservation.
Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/environmental-
sciences/heritage-conservation-is-important-for-identifying-environmental-
sciences-essay.php?vref=1.
 Xavier Greffe. (2001). Need for conservation of cultural natural heritage. New
Delhi,India. Aaryan Books International. Managing Our Cultural Heritage
 Queensland Floods Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Panel,
convened by the Queensland Chief Scientist, Dr Geoff Garrett
AO.(n.d.).Literature Review. Queensland Government. Understanding
Floods: Questions and Answers