Greens to document biodiverstity in Charachira pond

Thiruvananthapuram: With a mission to protect the flora and fauna, environmentalists and residents have taken up a mission to document the natural biodiversity of Charachira pond.
Balachandran V, founding member of society for odonate studies, visited the pond recently and made some interesting observations.
According to Balachandran, he was surprised to notice the absence of ditch jewel (brachythemis contaminata), a species of dragonfly which he said is commonly found near stagnant and polluted water bodies. He also recorded a list of 17 odonates, including 12 dragonflies and 5 damselflies, from Charachira.
"When I went to the pond, the climate was cloudy. I think we could 15 more species of odonates in the pond. Odonates are connected to water bodies, however, their lives are often ignored. Absence of ditch jewel indicates that the quality of water could be relatively potable. I recommend that water samples from the tank be collected and analysed. Such resources could be utilised when city faces acute water shortage. Officials could have opted for more environmentally-friendly options by preserving the natural ambience of the space and consulted conservation architects before implementing the project," said Balachandran.
He said some of the grass and shrubs along the bank should be left as is to prevent erosion.
"Several small channels are linked to the tank. It seems to me that the proposed construction around the tank would destroy the plant life around the tank and may also block the flow of clean water flowing in through the channels," he added.
A citizens group has been formed by a group of environmentalists to protect the pond.
"We have been working for the revival of ponds and water bodies. The renovation work is destroying the pond. It was noticed that in spite of rain, the pond is not filled as the natural source to the pond has been blocked by a structure constructed around it. Officials should take measures to link the spring and other natural sources to the pond," said Veena M, a member.
The group is also planning to visit the pond again to record varieties of butterflies. After documenting these, they have planned to approach authorities with demand for eco-friendly development of the space without destroying its natural diversity.