Gaja: Mangroves acted as shield  against cyclone

Muthupet in Tiruvarur district was among the coastal towns that faced the wrath of Cyclone Gaja. But considering the extent of the damage elsewhere, this town seems to have been spared the worst, thanks to its mangrove forests.

“They functioned as a shield and broke the velocity of the wind. In the process, the mangrove forests sacrificed themselves to save Muthupet,” said K. Arivoli, District Forest Officer, Tiruvarur.

This is not the first time mangroves saved a disaster-prone area. During the 2004 tsunami, Pichavaram mangrove forests saved Cuddalore district. When a tsunami struckTamil Nadu in 2004, they helped contain the damage in Pichavaram in Cuddalore district.

Known as Alaiyathi Kadugal (forests that cool the waves), mangrove forests are spread across 12,000 hectares and are populated by six plant species. The most common species is Avicennia Marina, followed by Excoecaria Agallocha, Aegiceras corniculatum, Acanthus ilicifolius, Suaeda maritima and Suaeda monoica. The marshy land and the backwaters around the mangroves have 73 species of fish and are major tourist attractions.

Mr. Arivoli said many mango trees were completely defoliated and uprooted by high velocity winds.

“Since the force of the wind was deflected by the mangrove forests, it couldn’t uproot coconut trees in Muthupet in the same manner as it did in Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur,” he explained.

The force of the wind was felt five metres above the ground, and though the canopies of coconut trees had borne the brunt of the cyclone, their trunks were neither twisted, broken nor uprooted.

Botanist D. Narasimhan said their strong root system and bush-like growth without leaving gaps provided mangroves the strength to withstand nature’s fury. “But for the mangroves, Point Cali mere [wildlife and bird sanctuary] would have been completely destroyed,” he said.