Buoyed by its success in restoring rice cultivation in around 1,200 acres of land last year, Kottayam is all set to bring more areas of fallow paddy fields under the plough this year.

Aimed at restoring the fresh water ecosystems in the region, the People’s Initiative for Meenachilar-Meentharayar-Kodooraar Relinking has come up with an action plan to expand cultivation to an additional area of 2,000 acres.

A draft plan of the proposal will be presented at a one-day workshop to be organised by the Haritha Keralam mission here on January 22, Tuesday.

T.N. Seema, executive vice chairperson, Haritha Keralam Mission, will inaugurate the event.

‘By 2021’

K. Anil Kumar, convener of the project, said the document entailed a detailed plan to converge various government agencies for restoration of the entire fresh water ecosystem in the region by January 2021.

It also marks the launch of a State-level project to to restore waterbodies and rice cultivation, to be organised by the mission later next month.

“The project takes a cue from the realisation that the unique topography of the region — a temperate basin surrounded by foothills and chequered with waterbodies — enables it to receive enough water to feed itself. Accordingly, a master plan was prepared to re-link the three major rivers and restore its tributary network,” he said.