CHAPTER-III

PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA

For the purpose of research work, all the municipal towns in the district of Kannur
have been selected. The general feeling was that one could find glaring inequality
and differences with regard to solid waste collection and disposal. It is also observed
that in each municipal town there are issues between the people residing nearby
trenching yard, and the municipal authorities. Moreover there is discrepancy with
respect to solid waste composition and collection. Differences were also noticed with
regard to pattern of expenditure on solid waste collection and disposal. To know the
details about the facts mentioned above, it is helpful to study the profile of
municipalities and also the role of Kudumbashree units in the area of collection and
disposal of solid wastes. Profile also highlights the important of geographical
locations and their influence on SWM. An impact of solid waste mismanagement is
different in different towns. Water logged areas are prone to vector diseases.
Therefore the following profile of each of the municipality under consideration will
provide the basic features like physiography, climate, ecology, geology, water
resources and population.

3.01 Profile of Kannur district

Kannur is a beautifiil miniature of the picturesque state of Kerala. It is reported

that the history of Kannur commences with the arrival of Europeans. In the 16*
century Portuguese, Dutch, English and French people landed in Kannur. In February
1766 Hyderali invaded and subdued Kolathunadu, subsequently during his invasion
Tippu Sultan subdued Malabar and Kannur being then in Malabar, came under
Mysore regime. In 1792 the English people attacked and defeated Tippu Sultan and
former Malabar district was brought under British Regime.

The former Kannur district was carved out of portions of Malabar district and the
Kasargod Taluk of the Madras state linked to Kerala as per the state Re-organization
Act. Thereafter on 1^' January 1957 it was biftircated for administrative convenience,
 Profile of the study area

in to three districts namely Kannur, Kozhikode, and Palakkad. Then Kannur district
had six Taluks namely Kasargod, Hosdurg, Taliparamba, Kannur, Talassery and
North Wayanad. On 1.1.1979 North Wayanad was linked to Wayanad district. On
formation of Kasargod district, the talukas namely Kasargod and Hosdurg were de-
linked from Kannur district and the present Kannur district was formed with the
remaining taluks namely Taliparamba, Kannur, and Talassery'.

Physiography;-

Kannur district lies between latitudes ll"40' to 12" 48' North and longitudes
lA^ 52' to 76^* 07' East. The district is bound by the Western Ghats in the east of
Kozhikode and Wayanad district in the South, Lakshadweep in the west and
Kasargod the Northern most district of Kerala in the North. The district has been
divided into three geographical regions - high lands, mid lands and low lands. The
high land region comprises mainly of mountains. This is the area of major
plantations like coffee, rubber, tea, cardamom and other spices. Timber trees like
teak, Veetty, etc. are grown in plenty in this region. The midland region, lying
between the mountains and the low lands, is made up of undulating hills & valleys.
This is an area of intense agricultural activity. Coconut and areca nut are the main
agricultural products come from this region. The low land is comparatively narrow
and comprises of rivers, deltas and seashore. This is a region of coconut and paddy
cultivation. The total geographical area of the district is 2967.98 Sq.kms, which is
7.64% of the total states area.

1. District credit plan 2006-07

78
 Profile of the study area

Climate:-

The district has a humid cHmate with an oppressive hot season from March to
the end of May. This is followed by the south-west monsoon which continues till the
end of September, October and November from the post monsoon or retreating
monsoon season. The North East monsoon which follows extends up to the end of
February, although the rain generally after December. During the months of April and
May, the mean daily maximum temperature is about 35" Celsius. Temperature which
is low in December and January is about 20" Celsius. On certain days the night
temperature may go down to 16" Celsius. The annual average rainfall is 3438 mm and
more than 80 percent of it occurs during the period of South - west monsoon
(between June and September). The rainfall during July is very heavy and the district
receives 68 percent of the annual rainfall during this season.

Ecology;

Kannur district has a long coast (152km), which is about one fourth of the
coastline in the state. Fishery plays an important role in this district. There are 31 fish
landing centres in the district, of which Tellicherry, Kannur, Mattool, Madai,
Cheruvathur, Kanhangad, Kasaragod and Manjeshwar are major centres. Mopla Bay
and Valapattanam are the two fishing harbours in the district. The annual production
offish comes to 81000 tons. Of these the average production of oil sardines, prawns
and mackerals come to 16630, 14120 and 11650 tons respectively. Patches of
mangrove species are distributed near Melur and Dharmapatnam Island, which is
surrounded by Dharmadam estuary. Similarly, Valapattanam and Pazhayangadi areas
have patches of mangroves, where Valapattanam estuary and Pazhayangadi estuary
surround those mangroves respectively. In Kannur district total mangrove area has
been estimated to be as 9.47km^.

Art and Culture:-

The Kolathiri kingdom deserves special mention with regard to the cultural
heritage of the State. In the 14th and 15th centuries, under the Kolathiri Rajas,

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 Profile of the study area

Thaliparambu became a famous centre of learning, enlightenment and culture. The

story of this place developing into a cultural centre is intimately linked with the
famous Thaliparambu temple. With the transfer of the capital of Kolathiri from
Thaliparamba to Chirakkal, Chirakkal also rose into prominence as a great centre of
the arts. The gift of the district in the field of art and culture is its folk arts. The social
situation that prevailed here gave rise to various folk art forms. The assimilation of
different styles of Aryan and non-Aryan culture and the influence of Jain and
Buddhist philosophies kindled its growth further. Though the social set-up has been
effaced by time, the cultural life of the folk remains unchanged. Kannur is the land of
the famous performing art Theyyam.

Tourism:-

The district has a high tourism potential. The St. Angelos Fort in the Karmur
Cantonment, which was constructed in 1505, and the mosque at Madayi constructed
in 1124, using marble brought from Mecca, attracts plenty of tourists. The tourists
who come to this district will never forget to visit, St. Angelo's Fort,Muzhappilangad
Beach, Meenkunnu Beach:.Payyambalam beach:.Snake Park at
Parassinikkadavu:.Mappila bay:.Pazhassi Dam, Sree Muthappan Madappura and a
number of water theme parks. Other places of Tourist interest in Kannur are
Thalassery Fort, Ezhimala, Malayalakalagramam, Pythal Mala, Gundert Bungalow,
Thottada Beach etc. The exodus of both skilled and unskilled workers to Gulf
countries still continues from Kannur. The huge amount of foreign money they send
from there has changed even the face of each and every town as well as country side
of Kannur.

Festivals:-

The traditional Hindu in the district observes a number of religious festivals.

Among them the prominent ones are Vinayaka Chathurthi (in the month Chingam,
August-September), Ashtami Rohini (in Chingam), Navarathri (in Kanni, September-

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 Profile of the study area

October), Mahasivarathri (in Kumbhom, February-March), Onam (in Chingam),

Vishu (in Medam, April-May) and Pooram (in Meenam, March-April).

Geology:-

The geological formations in the district are of Archean and formations of recent
age. Archean formations comprise of greisses and charrockiates. Recent formations
are alluvium and laterite. Archeans occupy the midland and highland regions of the
district having rock types of basic charrockiates and hom-blendebiotite greiss. The
remaining portions in the coastal area are covered by laterite, alluvium, lime,-shells,
lignified woods, etc. Archean formations like foliated hom-blende-biotite greiss (gray
or white in colour) is one of the main rock types in the northern portion of the district.
Recent formations like laterite are developed on a limited scale along the coastal
areas.

Water resources:-

Kaimur district is endowed with a fine river system. Except for a few minor ones,
most of the rivers are perennial and provide good scope for irrigation and controlling
floods through minor irrigation works. With a length of 110 kms., the Valapattanam
river, which originates from the Western Ghats, is the longest river in the district. The
main tributaries of the river are Valiapuzha and Aralampuzha.Kuppam River
originates from reserve forests and has area of 539 sq.kms. The length of river is 82
kms. The other rivers in the district are Mahe (54 kms.), Anjarakandi (48 kms.),
Thalassery (28 kms.), Ramapuram (19 kms.) and Perumba (51 kms.)Most of the
rivers are navigable. The Valapattanam river has the longest navigable length
followed by Anjarakandy.Owing to the peculiar topography, the bulk of rain water,
which is the only source of ground water recharge, escapes as run off. Only 10 per
cent of the total rainfall can be considered as contributing to recharge. It was
observed that the water found in the wells was of good quality and could be used for
domestic, industrial and irrigation purposes.Preliminary studies indicate that ground
water resources of the coastal sandy tract were fairly good for development, whereas,
in the laterite covered areas it was very limited.

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 Profile of the study area

The solid waste and sewage discharged by the human settlements on the length of
the river cause pollution of Valapattanam River. The level of pollution in upper
stretches of Valapattanam River is maximum during the summer season. Lack of
sanitary facilities, sewage collection and treatment, waste discharged from hotels and
commercial establishments cause the pollution of Valapattanam River.

Population:-

The population of Kannur district as per the 2001 Census is 2412365 which
are 7.57 of the total population of the state. The density of population is 813 per
Sq.km and the sex ratio is 1090. The district is in the eighth position among districts
of Kerala in terms of the total population.
Table: 3.01
Population & density of population in Kannur District (1961-2001)

Density of population
Year Population Male Female Sex ratio
(Per. Sq.km)
1961 1,780,294 8,74.667 905,627 397 1,048

1971 2.040,260 1,010,547 1,029,713 524 1,033

1981 2.800,055 1,375,194 1,424,861 651 1,040

1991 2,244.685 1,092,375 1,152,310 757 1,055

2001 2,412,365 1,154,144 1,258,221 813 1,090

Source: Census Report 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001

Literacy:-

The literacy rate in the Kannur district is very high. The effective literacy rate
of males is 95.54% and that of female is 91.40%.

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 Profile of the study area

Table: 3.02
Literacy rate in Kannur District

Year Total Literacy Male Literacy % Female Literacy %

1961 7,35,038 4,54,489 61.8 2,80,549 38.2

1971 9,38,544 3,79,372 40.4 5,59,172 59.6

1981 1,811,031 9,79,436 54.1 8,31,595 45.9

1991 1,782,331 9,00,614 50.5 8,81,717 49.5

2001 1,594,343 7,84,728 49.2 8,09,615 50.8

Source: Census Report 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991,2001.

The economy is mainly agrarian in nature. The major employment provider in this
district is Kerala Dinesh beedi that was formed after the closure of Manglore Ganesh
beedi. Now Dinesh is in theway of diversification and has entered in the field of IT,
Textile, food processing etc. Kannur district has had its industrial importance from
very early days. Dr. Herman Gundert, the famous German missionary and
Lexicographer complied the first dictionary in Malayalam, when he lived in
Thalassery in the l" half of 19"' Century.
The Pariyaram medical college, Kannur medical college. Co-operative hospitals
and a number of Pvt hospitals are offering ultra modem facilities. Malabar cancer
centre at Thalassery gives solace to hundreds of cancer patients in and out of the
district. Besides, the Pappinissery Visha Chikilsa kendram is offering effective
treatment for snake bites".
Kannur University with head quarters at Mangattuparamba. Kannur district
consists of three taluks with 129 villages. There are six municipalities viz, Kannur,
Payyannur, Taliparamba, Thalassery, Kuthuparamba and Mattannur besides Kannur
Cantonment.
2. District Hand Book of Kerala

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 Profile of the study area

3.02 Profile of five municipalities in the district

3.03 Kannur Municipality (KNRM)

Kannur Municipality was established in the year 1887. The total area of this
municipality is 11.03 Sq.kms and this region consists of 38 wards. There are 63795
people living in this region.
Table: 3.03
Area of population growth of KNRM (1961-2001)

Dacadal %
Area Density of
Year Population Growth rate variation
(Sq.km) Population
(%)
1961 12.62 46,101 8.65 3,653 -
1971 11.03 55,162 19.65 5,001 36.9
1981 11.03 60,904 10.41 5,521 10.3
1991 11.03 65,233 7.11 5,914 7.1
2001 11.03 63,795 -2.20 5,783 7.7

Source: Census Report 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001

North of the Kannur Municipality is Pallikkunnu Panchayath, North East of this

region is Elayavoor Panchyath and Puzhathi Panchayat, South east of this
Municipality is Edakkad Panchayat. Southern side is Kanapuzha, South - West of
this region is Kannur Cantonment and western side is Arabian Sea. Municipality has
been categorized in to Kannur I, Kannur II, which are revenue villages.

Industry:-

Historians have recorded that Kannur which has the fragrance of Cardomon
plantation in it, possessed a considerable place in the trade and industrial history of
Kerala. The Arakkal Dynasty had a great role in both the sector of trade and industry.
Its prosperity owned much to the trade dealings with the countries like Egypt, Africa,
and Arabia as well as to the island like lakshadeep and Minicoy. Kannur stood high
in the exports of pepper, coffee, cardamom, betel leaf, arecanut, woods, coir products
etc. When British colonizers settled here, the natives felt interested to their new life

84
 Profile of the study area

styles and the prevailing traditional industries of the land miserably declined. The
sea-shore resources also get diminished and the 'fishing' become name relatively less.

Gradually Kannur frame got expanded to the Handloom sector. Though Kannur
stands superior to many other towns in the industrial sector, a serious defect to be
pointed out is that, the town lacks that sort of industries which has the possibility of
further static developments according to the modem technical system. At present,
Kannur Municipal area has 234 production units and 115 service units to its credit.

Energy;-

In Kannur Municipal area, a 66 K.V sub station and an office of the Deputy
Chief Engineer are established to Chovva, about 3 kms away from Kannur
Municipality office. In south Bazar, there is the divisional office of the Executive
Engineer and in Thekki - Bazar, situates the electrical major section of Assistant
Executive Engineer as well as the meter testing and Billing units. Besides there are
two electrical major sections, one in Chovva and the other in Bumassery. Apart from
this, the Electrical Section Office of the Assistant Engineer works in Thayyil region
.The first sodium vapour lamp in Kannur Municipality was launched in
Thavakkara Subway in 1987, which really paved the way for tremendous
achievements in the matter of Electric lights. Towards the end of 1996, sodium lamps
had been placed in the important wards and regions of the town.
During 1963-64 periods, the municipality had just 929 electric lights and 89
Kerosine lamps as the street lights. During that period it had spent an amount of Rs.
3421/- for placing Kerosine lamps and bigger amount of Rs. 34,342/- for electric
street lamps. Today, municipality given around 83,127 rupees to the State Electricity
Board as the bill amount for the street lamps used.

Education ;-

The first educational institution established in Kannur towards the school

education facilities for women, was GovGirls High School, Kannur and it was in
19' Century. The historically famous Kannur Govt. School (old Municipal high
School) was established in 1907. Today, we have one govt. Nursery School and
number of Private Nursery Schools in the town. Besides, we have 33 kinter garden in

85
 Profile of the study area

the area. There are 24 Educational Institutions under the Municipal authority. This
includes the two Teacher Education Centres. The municipality has 6 L.P. School 11
U.P. Schools and one Higher Secondary to its credit. In total,the 17 out of the 26
educational institutions belong completely to public sector.
Within the municipality, all have many higher educational centers, including both
public and private institutions. The residents of the Municipality depend normally on
S.N. College, Govt. Brennen College, Sir Syed College and Krishna Menon College
for higher education. In matters of technical education Govt.Polytechnic, ITI and
women polytechnic do the necessary help for the people. A campus of Kannur
University is coming up at Thavakkara.

Health:-

In Kannur Municipality, there is one Homeo Hospital under Govt, control and
District Auyrveda Hospital as well as child protection centre situating at Thayyil
region. The Govt. Hospital which is close to the Municipality and about 32 private
hospitals provide all the hospital services required for the people of the Municipality.
The threat of mosquitoes is increasing in the town, and therefore there are more
chances for spreading of the crucial diseases like elephantiasis and Malaria in this
region.

Urban Planningr-

Compared to other towns in Kerala, Kannur is a centre which carmot claim

much, credit for urban planning. Moreover, the lack of drainage facilities is a major
issue found in the municipal region. As the waste of the town remains strewn here
and there, Kannur is hopelessly poor as far as the overall neatness of the town is
concerned.

Drinking water:-

About 50% of the families in the municipality depend on public water. For
drinking water only 30% has wells of their own 15% of the people depend on public
wells and another 25% on public water taps.

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 Profile of the study area

Transport;-

The length of the railway line that passes through the Kannur town, as the part
of the Shomur - Mangalore Railway is nearly 6.000km. The first train from Kannur
started its journey on 20"' May 1903. The first trip was to Thalassery and later to
Valapattanam on 15"" May 1904. There are two level crosses inside the Kannur
Municipality. Being connected to the Kannur Railway Station, there passes through
this line about 28 traveller trains apart from a number of goods trains. But at present
this station which earns a daily income of 3.5 lakh rupees, it could provide better
facilities to the travellers.The first bus services were started connecting the remote
areas of municipality, like Karmur - Valapattanam, Kannur - Anjarakkandy, Kannur -
Kattampally etc. Those days buses plied on steam engines. There isn't any isolated
region in Kannur Municipal area where transportation is tough or impossible.

The cleanliness in Kannur Municipality;-

It is observed that there are no modernized sewage systems to remove the

liquid wastes except those whidi flow out though the natura 1 drainages. The sewage
treatment plant launched decades ago had gone out of service years before. The solid
garbage removal is also a big problem for the municipality. There are no scientific
methods to destroy effectively the 39 tonne solid wastes left out every day. Kannur
Municipality's trenching ground is situated at Chelora, which is 12Km away from
Kannur city. A couple of years ago, the people of Chelora registered their protest
against the disposal of solid Waste in this region. As a result, the method of
depositing the wastes in the large pits and ditches was decided and the system
continues to work even today .

3. Vikasana Rekha -Kannur Municipality

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 Profile of the study area

Solid - waste Management - The Current Status

Presently, the entire refuse viz, market waste, slaughter house waste, domestic waste,
building debris, branches oftrees and leaves etc., are dumped at Chelora Panchyath
where the municipality owns a waste land site of about 25 acres of which, only 13.54
acres are used for dumping the waste. At the time of owning the land, there were a
few households nearby area. Till 1980's there were no agitation or protest against
trenching of waste. By this time the number of households in this area has
considerably increased and thus protest against trenching has been taken up by them.
Several times public stopped trenching and during those times, the entire loads of
waste were kept in the roadsides This Panchayat is 12 km away from Kaimur city; it
is one of the most distant trenching grounds in Kerala. The collected waste is
disposed off in Chelora by the method of tenching. Due to the increased quantity of
plastic and other non-bio degradable waste materials, the land in that area is highly
polluted, thus creating a lot of ecological issues.

Kannur Municipality has been divided into five zones (A, B, C, D & E) to have an
easy solid waste management system, in which three zones, belong to Kannur centre
and the other two in city Thayyil side. Each zone has a separate section office for
MSW management. But majority of the work is undertaken by Kannur Municipal
Office, which is listed under Zone B. For the collection and transport of the waste
from various zones, the municipality uses vehicles, like hand cart, tiller, tipper and
dumper placer.

Method of S.W collection can be divided in to two, which is primary and

secondary collection. The primary method of waste collection is door - to door
collection which is regarded as the best option all over the world. Secondary
collections are made from open dumping places. Open dumping places are the most
common Municipal collection points in Kaimur. Recently efforts have been made for
door - to door collection of waste through Kudumbashree unit. House - to - house
collection of garbage is presently practiced in 24 wards out of the 38 wards.

88
 Profile of the study area

KANNUR MUNICIPALITY-TRENCHING GROUND

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89
 Profile of the study area

3.04 Profile of Thalassery Municipalitv(TLYM)

Thalassery Municipality was established in the year 1866. The total area of
this municipality is 23.98 Sq.kms and this region consists of 50 wards. There are
99387 people living in this region. North of the Thalassery Municipality is
Dharmadom Panchayath, East of this region are Eranholi Panchyath and Kadirur
Panchayat, and south of this Municipality is Mahe Panchayat. West of this region is
Arabian Sea.
Thalassery has a unique place in Kerala's histoiy and has an equally interesting
evolution of culture, religion and tradition. Thalassery, which is now part of present
day Kannur, a northern district of Keralabefore the country's independence had its
social, political and cultural life shaped by the local rulers, foreign trade links as well
as imperial powers like the Portuguese and the British. In Kerala, perhaps no other
place can boast of having several unique aspects attached to a region like that of
Thalassery. The place has to its credit many firsts in its Socio cultural life and it
would be interesting to explore some of them.
Cricket and Thalassery has a relationship, which eventually resulted in the
popularity of this game in other parts of Kerala. Introduced by the British, the family
of the Moosas in Thalasserry also patronized the same. In the process, the family
house of the Moosas called 'Bangla' have had the opportunity to play host to some of
the cricketing heroes of the countiy like Mohammed Azharudin, Krishnamachari
Sreekanth and Anil Kumble.
Thalasserry and fashion may sound a bit odd to those from Kochi and other
towns of Kerala. But, if one wants to keep tab of the latest in fashion, step into
Logan's Street in Thalasseny. Named after the European, Mr. Logan, who wrote the
Malabar Manual, the street is abuzz with youngsters, who scan shops selling the latest
clothing, especially men's wear. Logan's Street has a phenomenal number of shops
and the number is increasing by the day.
But, let us also have a look at some of the prominent landmarks and important
testimonials in the eventful history of Thalassery like the Thalassery Fort. Built in
1708 by the East India Company, the fort is situated by the seaside. Yet another
seaside attraction is the pier, which was built in 1910 to facilitate transportation of

90
 Profile of the study area

goods from deep sea to land.Towards North, situated on the Dharmadom Island is the
143-year-old Brennen College, with a galaxy of eminent personalities forming part of
its alumni. The Illikunnu Bungalow in Thalassery is another place of significance, as
this is where Mr. Herman Gundert who airived in Kerala in 1839 lived and prepared
the first dictionaiy of Malayalam language. Thalasseiy may be a small town, but it is
a place where one can see and feel some interesting aspects of life, which few other
places in Kerala possess.

Industry

In the case of industrial development we can say that Thalassery does not have a
proud history. There were no large scale industries in Thalassery. 'Volcatt Brothers',
an European trade centre, which was established several years back is now changed to
another trade centre known as 'consolidated coffee'.Cashewnut factory of Pears
Lessly, at the tovra boundary is a countable institution in the industrial map of
Thalassey. Maballi Bakery, established in 1880 is the first bakery industry in
Kerala.the first hotel was also located in Thalassery. The relation with Europeans
gave Thalassery a place in the field of bakery industry. In the field of engineering,
Raju engineering was the first institution. Now in Thalassery there are more than 200
small scale industries.

Transport

One horse cart with a beautiful whillies named'jadka' horse cart named 'bruham'
pulled by many horses passed through our city. Buses which run on coal were there in
Thalassery. Thalassery-Kurg road, Anjarakandy road, Thalassry-Kutyadi road built in
order to transport items from Wayanad, Kudag area to a place near the port is the
important, the oldest and the busiest road in the city. The length of the railway line
passing through our city is 7.1 km.

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 Profile of the study area

Energy

Chandra and company is the first institution which supplied electricity to

Thalassry. Thalassery 1 lOKV sub station of Ponyam West in Kathirur panchayat
supplied electricity that is provided to our city and near by places. The supply of
electricity in Thalassery is under the major substation of K.S.E.B in Thalassery.
North, Thalassery south, Kodiyeri and Dharmadam. There are about 15,504
electricity customers in Thalassery town.

Education
The first English medium school in North Malabar was the B.G.M school started
by the Basel German Mission on March 1, 1856 with 74 students. It is now known as
B.E.M.P. The institution (Basel German Mission school) started along with the asset
of Edward Brennen was take over by the government in 1872 and the 'free school'
got the position of a state school. From 1883 to 1919 this institution was under the
control of Thalassery municipality and the credit of making it a college with a great
fame goes to Thalassery corporation. Brennen college was the one and only college in
North Malabar until the re establishment of the state. The first municipality to
establish the compulsory primary education in 1922 was Thalassery. The only pre-
primary school in the municipality which is under the control of government is the
Govt. Model Nursery School at Thiruvangad. There are 45 schools in the govt, aided
area itself in the municipality surroundings.

Drinking water
About 35% of the total population in the municipality depends upon pipe water.
Apart from this, there are 24 common wells in the city.

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 Profile of the study area

Public Health
The first treatment system in the city is the hereditary medical treatment. But with
the arrival of Britishers, there spread the allopathy treatment. Thaluk hospital which
later becomes the general hospital is the important hospital in the city "*.

Present System of Solid Waste Management

The present system of solid waste management is unscientific. It generates 40

tons of waste every day. There are 127 permanent workers and 40 temporary workers.
The collected waste is disposed off in Punnol in Mahi by the method of trenching.

4. Vikasana Rekha -Thalassery Municipality

93
 Profile of the study area

THALASSERY MUNICIPALITY-TRENCHING GROUND

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yiUXLCtlij/il: 173
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94
 Profile of the study area

3.05Profile of Thaliparamba municipality fTPBAM)

Thaliparamba municipality is located in Kannur district. It has a total

geographical area of 43.8 square kilometer and came in to being in 2000.As per the
geographical information Thaliparamba belongs to the northenmiddle zone. Hills,
slopes, valleys and coastal areas are also the peculiarities of Thaliparamba
municipality area. East and west are highlands, middle part plateau and south and
north are coastal platina. The Kuppam River passes through the northern part at a
length of 2 l/2km and Kuttikkol River through western part of the municipality. NH
17 also passes through the municipality from north to south.

Oriein and development of Thaliparamba

Thaliparamba is a living monument of celebrated culture and tradition which the

society possessed in the past. The remnants of history that spreads from Stone Age to
the modem period can be seen here. There are many myths regarding the origin of the
word "Thaliparamba". Some historians uphold the view that Thaliparamba is the
place were govemers of Thali (templef god Siva) under the perumakkal dynasty
were dwelling. The word of famous historian K.V.Krishnayyar, 'Thali' means siva
temple. The place which encloses the siva temple is known as Thaliparamba. Sri
Rajarajeswara temple and Trichambaram srikrishna temple are on the banks of
Kuppam River.

Demographic features

The total population of Thaliparamba according to 1991 census was 37087

and it increased to 67441 in 2001. Out of 67441; 32511 are males and 34930 are
females. According to the 2001 census the sex ratio of the municipality was favorable
to women. The children below the age 6 years constitute 11.6% of the population.
Among the total population 30.63% are employed in various occupational practices.

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Climate and Rainfall

We get more rainfall in the months of June, July and August. Month of
December and January are winter seasons. Scarcity of water appears in the month of
February, March, April and May. From 1990 onwards we get 369524 mm rainfall.

Energy

Energy is use of the indispensable factors for human progress. Wood,

kerosene, electricity are the major sources of energy used in day to day life. Kerala's
existing energy is evident in the municipality also. During hours of peak load, the
voltage reaches to a minimum of 50 volts. Now 95% of the municipality has
electricity. Electricity is distributed mainly from Mangad substation apart from that
we have substation at Thaliparamba also.
Education

The effective literacy rate of the municipality was 81.68 in 2001 census. The
first common school namely B.E.M LP School was established in 1982. In 1894
Brahmasree Moothedath Mallisseri Kuberan started Moothedath School at
Chiravakku. Another important school is Tagore Vidyanikethan were admission is
available only on the basis of entrance examination. It is a residential Malayalam
school. Apart from this we have Seethi School also. Now there are two government
higher secondary, one aided higher secondary School, three government UP, seven
aided UP, three government LP, one central School, one engineering college, one
aided College, B.Ed College, six unaided schools, one bUnd school here.
Transport

The transport facilities of Thaliparamba are able to satisfy their primary needs.
Once Kuppam area played a major role in the transportation through water. Now the
situation has changed. The present transportation system depends on bus services.
There are more than 150 roads in 1991. We have a portion of NH 17 which had a
length of 6 km, state high way. MLA road and another 10 km road of PWD. The
opening up of Parassini River Bridge opened several vistas for the development area.

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Occupation of the people

Even today people in Thaliparamba earn their livelihood through agriculture. Crops
like Coconut, rice, arcca nut, pepper, vegetables, cashew and tapioca are cultivated
here. Along with agriculture, animal husbandry has an important role in the
agricultural history. Traditional and cottage industries and handloom are still existing
here .Mat making and handloom are traditional industries and sawmill, engineering,
match box making, balls company, rice mill, sofa factory, toddy tapping, stone
cutting, making of Ayurvedic medicine, automobile power making, oil mil, candle
making, beedi making, furniture industry. Bakery, printing press, fertilizer mixing
unit etc. are other occupations.
Health

There are 11 hospitals working under the control of municipality. There is Taluk
Ayurvedic hospital. Taluk and quarters hospitals, Morazha fisheries Hospital,
Parassinikkadavu PHSC.Five sub centers, 2 urban healh centers. Though there are no
ayurvedic and homoephatic nursing homes at Thaliparamba municipality, there are 8
Ayurvedic clinics, 5 homeo clinic and 2 Yoga centers.

Drinking Water

Now a days availiability of drinking water is a very important problem in

municipal areas. 90 % of the people depend on wells and 6% of the people are using
the facility provided by the water authority. Then almost three percent depend on the
tube wells. Increasing building constructions and use of the drinking water for other
purposes will reduce the availability of ground water. The water source is limited
here. There are four methods used by the distributors of pure water. They are public
taps, housing connections, public wells and tube wells. The authority installed the
water tank at Karimbam River for the purpose of distribution clean water in
municipal areas^.

5. Vikasana Rekha -Thaliparamba Municipality

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 Profile of the study area

Solid waste management- the current status

At present for the purpose of waste management authority handover the waste
basket in every hotels, shops, vegetable shops, restaurant and other parts of market
areas. Then the workers are collected these waste daily and transport by using the
lorry and goods auto. There are only 22 contingent workers and 18 temporary
workers in Thaliparamba municipality for the service of waste management. It
generates 8 tons of waste every day. The collected waste is disposed off in Karimbam
by the method of trenching.

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THALIPARAMBA MUNICIPALITY-TRENCHING GROUND

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 Profile of the study area

3.06 Profile of Payyannur Municipality (PNRM)

Payyannur Municipality was established in the year 1990. The total area of this
municipality is 54.63 Sq.kms and this regbn consists of 41 wards. There are 68711
people living in this region. North of the Payyannur Municipality is
Karivellur,Kagol,and Eramam Panchayath, East of this region is Kadannapalli,and
Eramam Panchayath, South of this Municipality is Ramanthalli,Cheruthazham,and
Kunjimangalam Panchayat. Western side is Thrikkaripur and Valiyaparamba
Panchayat.

History

'Kolkanachary' was a place which was praised by the poets of 'Sanghakalam' as

the city of pearl and crown. This became Payyannur. Researchers and great
personalities from abroad as well as from the home countries arrived here to learn
more about the history and stories of Payyannur. The author of 'Keralolpathi has also
described Payyannur as a village which was the resting place of Brahmins by
Parasurama. As a result of the emergence of Aryans temples were established
Temples in the places of 'Kavu ' and 'Thara'.the boycott of Simon Commission
created the beats of Nationalist movement in the heart of Payyannur. Public meeting
held in 26"" May 1928 under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru created new waves
in the mind of Payyarmur to fight against untouchability and exploitation of Jatunies.
The civil disobedience and rejection of taxation started at Bardoli. It made an
immediate effect upon Payyaimur and it became known as 'Second Bardoli'. One of
the important movements in India against Britishers was the 'Salt sathyagraha' and
Payyannur became the dais for that sathyagraha. Different nationalist movements
such as picketing of alchoholic shops, the activities of 'charka group', policies against
untouchabilility etc. created a new energy to Payyannur. In 1934 Gandiji reached here
to collect 'Harijan fund'. Soon after Dr. Rajendra Prasad also searched here to collect
the Bihar National Calamity Fund. Along with the Nationalist movement, the
expansion of Hindi and Khadar also continued and as a result, the idea of 'Hindi
Vidyalaya' emerged in 1935(Later it became Hindi Vidyapeedam). It is the
peculiarity of Payyannur, ie, the youths were fully encouraged by the nationalist

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 ,^ V^ . > * ! ^ c ^ --^ Profile of (he study area

movement. After the a^sstttatigrToTGandiji,they decided to build a monument and

collected money and bought a ground which, is known as 'Gandi maidani'. In 1953,
Acharya Vinobaji also reached to spread the thoughts of Boodhan movement
.Payyannur has a very rich cultural. Arts and culture of this place got important
position in the History of Kerala Sahithyam. In addition to this, it became famous for
its contribution in the field of Sanskrit, Astronomy and Ayurveda, it was the native
place of folklore based dance and arts. The world famous dancer V.P.Dhananjayan
belongs to this hereditary. The cultural differences of Hindus, Muslims and Christians
blessed this place. The sediments of 'Mahasilayuga' such as rocky areas, burial
facilities, the 'cave' built in 'Echilam vayalil' known as 'Theeyathi Malika' all these
show the deep roots of great culture. Public Health forum also is functioning here
which contributed a lot in the field of Public health awareness programme.

Industry

Density of population of Payyannur is very high mainly because it is a town

area. This place achieved a lot of credit in the field of socio-cultural and educational
sectors. But in the industrial sectors Payyannur was a failure. Few industries started
here were more than 50 years ago, such as Baliapattanam Tiles, Kerala Engineering
works at South Bazar, two 'Marachakku' established by Tamil chettiyars. One or two
Automobile repairing shops, two or more manufacturing units of Copper plates etc.

Transport

During the period of Lord Dalhousie, railway facilities were introduced and its
good effects were beneficial to Payyannur also. During that time there were only 4
Rikshas were controlled by horses. There were two roads such as Payyannur-Railway
station road constructed by District board and road up to Hospitals etc. in that time. In
1947 a bus service was started by a compay - N.K.B.T. At present, a national
highway is passing in between Perumba to Palathara (Vellur) with 6.8km length. In
the Payyannur municipality, around 26.570km PWD Road, 37.750km Tarred Road

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and 74.750km untarred roads are here. This municipality also has a railway line with
5.5km and a railway station with 2 platforms.

Energy

Electricity arrived here in 1958. The distribution of electricity is done by the

llOKV substation situated at Kankol. From this substation distribution was carried
out by 3 feeders. The electricity distribution of this municipality is obtained through
Vellur, Mathamangalam and section offices.

Education

Before the establishment of universal educational institutions, 'Vidyarambham'

started in the houses of Acharyans. The first recognized educational institution was
B.E.M.P school established by Basel Mission. Here, 5 Govt. L.P schools, 2 Upper
Primary schools, 4 high schools and the total of 11 Govt, schools are functioning with
good stations. The physical infrastructural facilities are not good even though, 27
schools belonging to this Municipality, is functioning well.

Drinking water facilities

Most of the People belongs to this Municipality depend on wells for their needs of
water. There is only one project controlled by Kerala Water Authority to provide
drinking water. In totality, water scarcity is one of the major problem faced by the
natives.

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 Profile of the study area

Public Health Facilities

In the field of public health, Payyannur Govt. Hospital established in 1919. Govt.
Ayurveda Hospital at Kandoth established in 1959, govt. Homeo Dispensary
established in 1989 at Kanai, Family welfae sub centers under Payangadi P.H.C etc.
are functioning. In addition to this, so many hospitals are functional under co-
operative societies and so many Pvt. Clinics are also here. In the field of health, its
position is higher than the state average level^.

The present system of solid waste management

The present system of solid waste disposal is an unscientific manner. The total
quantity of daily waste is 8 tons. The collected waste is 5 and disposed off in
Moorikovval by the method of trenching. There are 18 permanent workers and 7
temporary workers for the service of waste management.

6. Vikasana Rekha - Payyannur Municipality

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 Profile of the study area

PAYYANNUR MUNICIPALITY-TRENCHING GROUND

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 Profile of the study area

3.07 Profile of Kuthuparamba municipality (KUTPABM)

Kuthuparamba municipality is located in Kannur district. It has a total

geographical area of 16.42 square kilometer and this region consists of 25 wards.
Kuthuparamba Municipality was established in the year 1991. There are 29532 people
living in this region. North East of the Kuthuparamba Municipality is Patyam
Panchayat North west of this region is Kottayam Panchayat. South - West of this
region is Mangattidam Panchayat.

History

Kuthuparamba is the land having lots of memorable contributions made by the

Kottayam Kovilakam in the cultural history of North Kerala. The name
'Kuthuparamba' was obtained, because of the introduction of 'Koothu' by the
'Kottayathu Thamburan'. In addition to this , this land was blessed with the activities
of our cultural heros such as Veera Pazhassi, Thacholi Othenan and Payyamballi
Chandu etc. this was the starting place or point of 'Attakhadha' which is the
formulation for 'Kathakali', Kerala's own Art.

The capital of Veera Pazhassi and Kottayam Rajas , ie; Kottayam Kovilakam is in
Kuthuparamba. The North kovilakam was situated at Elippattachira. Among the four
Kovilakams, North Kovilakam disappeared a long timeback. Kottayam Kovilakams
and Kovilakam Rajas had an important place in our cultural history.among them. The
memories of Veera Pazhassi Raja who taught against the European aggression
through Guerilla war strategy was most memorable.

In kuthuparamba also, the National Movement was rose against the British
Monopoly. Another memorable figure in the Indian politics, ie; A.K.G; whose
activities were concentrated in this place. The reformations made by
Vagbhadanandan, and untouchability lead to the renaissance of Kuthuparamba.

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 Profile of the study area

Education
The first school in Kuthuparamba was the Mission school started by Basel
Mission under C.S.I . Mission at town. Education society was started in
Kuthuparamba and High school in Thokkilangadi was established with the help of
people. The famous poet in Malayalam literature V.V.K's operations also helpd for
the establishment of these institution. Apart from 17 aided/ govt, educational
institution are also working in Municipal areas.

Health

The existing govt, institution under the health sector is 1. Kuthuparamba govt,
hospital, 2.Govt. Ayurveda hospital 3.Govt. Homeo hospital. Apart from this 4 family
welfare centres are also working in Municipal areas.

Drinking water
Now a day's availability of drinking water is not a serious problem in municipal
areas. But in the month of April, May, particular areas face scarcity of water. The
existing public sources of water are 59 K.W.A connection, 15 wells and 7 bore wells.

Energy
The municipality had just provide Electricity connection for 3500 houses, 1000
business centres, 100 industrial centres, 120 agricultural needs. Wood, Kerosene, and
Gases are also used for food preparation.

Transport

There are several roads passing through kuthuparamba municipality. The

important ones are Thalassery- Kudak road.The total length of the road in municipal
area is 148.583 km. the present transportation system depends only on roads^.

7. Vikasana Rekha - Kuthuparamba Municipality

106
 Profile of the study area

The present system of solid waste management

The present system of solid waste disposal is unscientific. The total quantity of
daily waste is 8 tons. The collected waste is 7 and is disposed off in Palaparamba by
the method of trenching. There are 14 permanent workers and 8 temporary workers
for the service of waste management.

107
 Profile of the study area

KUTHUPARAMBA MUNICIPALITY-TRENCHING GROUND

108
 Profile of the study area

3.08 Mattannur Municipality (MATNRM)

Mattannur Municipality was established in the year 1996. It is the most recently
formed municipality in Kerala. The total area of this municipality is 54.5 Sq.kms and
this region consists of 31 wards. There are 44,313 people living in this region. Out of
this 21662(48.88%) are males and 226519 (51.12%) are females. 8500 families are
living here. The municipality is bound by the panchayats like Maloor, Mangattidam,
Vengadu, Keezhaloor, Keezoor, Chavassery, Koodali, Thillangeri.

History

The Mattannur Municipal area is one among the ancient villages and this may be
proved from the evidence available so far. This fact may be confirmed by the mere
existence of the scattered caves, bones of the dead kept in urns, stones, earthen ware,
and spear made out of iron and other weapons in different ports of the locality. One
of the major drawbacks is that these ancient remains have neither been scientifically
tested nor their age has been determined.

The name "Mattannur" has got traditional significance but until now, there are
no criticisms regarding its origin. It has been indicated that in A.D.I52, an Egyption
traveller Ptolemy has visited a place named "Mazhthannur". However,it is quite
interesting to note that there are many views regarding the origin of the name
"Mattannur". In connection with the existence of an ancient Shiva temple, it is
believed that the name is derived from the word "Mriddannur" which means the place
of Marthandam or "Mahebannur" meaning the place of rutting (rogue) elephants! Yet
another opinion points out that the name is derivedfrom the "Medaimur" meaning the
'place of hills' As per the survey records the birth name of the place (original name)
is "Pattinikkadu" derived from the name "Paltoni",the godess being worshipped by
the people of Tamil Nadu.

The first and foremost criticism regarding the history of Mattarmur is illustrated
in the book named 'Malabar Manual' written by Logan. Mattannur claims a very

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 Profile of the study area

long inheritance in the Indian history through the struggle against imperialism. The
Mattannur Panchayat was formed in the year 1962 by combining the three Revenue
villages namely Pazhassi,Kolari and Porora. In 1990, Mattannur, was later upgraded
as Municipality, but unfortunately, it was later degraded as Panchayat in the year
1994. The degrading of the Municipality to Panchayat led to series of agitations, in
the year 1996, the Mattannur Municipality came into being. Meanwhile,several big
and small agitations by people were started during the reign of Pazhassi Raja. The
present Mattannur Municipality is a result of these agitations and its social progress.

Industry
The Mattannur Municipality ranks second in area and fourth place in population
among the various municipalities of Kannur district, but are quite poor in
industrialization. Traditionally, the people of this locality gave priority importance to
agriculture. During 1980's the main mode of transport for goods was railway. Since,
there was no railway network in the Mattannur municipal area; large industrialization
could not be started then. The 55 year old lince kilu is the only unit in this area which
is a reminiscence of industrialization. Around 166 industrial units are known to
function in different places within the Mattannur municipal boundary. Leena
enterprises. Diamond ropes, Siva paintings, Kaloor mini enterprises etc are the major
industries.

Energy;
In the Mattannur Municipal area the major source of heat energy is firewood.
Survey records shows that out of the 6261 houses, 5572 houses use firewood for
cooking purpose, 61 houses depends on kerosene stove, 187 houses use electric stove
and 313 hoses use gas stove. The Mattannur municipal area got electrified in the year
1969. As per the survey records, 2553 connection are used for agro industrial
purposes. There is no facility for power generation within the area; however the
distribution of power is carried out from the Mattannur section office. Out of the 12
wards in Mattannur municipality there are places which are yet to be electrified. 70%
of the total 3658 consumers, use power supply for domestic needs and 27% uses it for

10
 Profile of the study area

industrial purposes. Only 2.75% use power for agro industrial puposes. The street
lights in the municipal area comprises of 36 sodium vapour lamps, 6 mercury vapour
lamps, 45 CF lamp and 489 bulbs.

Education:-
Two Govt school, 20 educational institutions, and higher secondary educational
institutions. Unaided educational institutions etc are situated in Mattaimur
Municipality area.

Health:
In the Mattannur municipality the first govt. Rural Dispensary was established in
the year 1963 which was later on developed as the Government Hospital. It is the
only government Hospital in the Mattannur municipality. Apart from this we have
five family welfare units functioning under the primary health centre of iritty. The
private sector of the municipality has 17 Allopathy Hospitals, 5 Homeo Clinics and 1
Co-operative Ayurveda Hospital. The poison eradication centre at Maruthayi and a
Marma treatment centre are also under the private sector. Also there are 12 Allopathy
medical shops, 6 Ayurveda medical shops and 3 Ayurveda medicine production units
within the Mattannur municipal area. The valuable medicinal plants grown in the
Mattannur High school under the name "Dhanwadhiri Oushadhathottam" is of great
significance and hence needs great appreciation. The statistical data indicates that in
the case of public health, the Mattannur municipality maintains a relatively good
standard in the state.

Drinking water:
The Mattannur municipal area experiences acute shortage of drinking water.
About 85%of the total population in this area depends on well for drinking water.
Out of 6261 houses, 5709 houses have wells on their own. 30% of the total wells in
this area face severe drought for about 2.5 months during the summer season. Public
tap was established in 44 places.

11
 Profile of the study area

Transport;
The first and the most important transport network in the Mattannur municipality
is the Thalassery-Kodaku road. This state Highway passes through the important
centres in the west and the north east regions of Kannur District. The road crosses the
hilly regions thereby connecting with the Kamataka state. Within the municipal area,
the length of the state highway is 9km and it joins the Kannur-Mattannur road
(District-Road), which is 27 km long at the central region of the municipality. There
is neither rail transport nor water transport in this area. The Mattannur Bus Stand was
constructed in the year 1968 and has an area of 1.5 acres but only 50 cents are being
used by the Bus Stand^.

Solid Waste Management:

Mattannur Municipality's landed region is rural in nature. Percapita land region

is 31 cent. Therefore, each household has land facilities for disposing or managing
solid waste for their own plot. So that shops, small scale industries, workshops,
hospitals, offices etc are the main sources of waste. At present the collected waste is
disposed off in Karithoor Paramba by the method of trenching, where the
Municipality owns a waste land site of about 4.63 acres; which is 7 km away from
Mattannur municipality. It generates 5 tones of solid waste per day. Municipality
engaged 14 permanent labourers and 6 permanent workers for the purposes of
sweeping the streets and collecting the waste. Out of this 4 workers engaged in
cleaning the streets in night time.

8. Vikasana Rekha - Mattannur Municipality

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 Profile of the study area

MATTANNUR MUNICIPALITY-TRENCHING GROUND

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