Inter-Graduate School Program for Sustainable Development and Survivable Societies Interdisciplinary Seminar (1 session course) Environmental Issues of Vembanad Wetlands and their Relation to Hydrology of Water System By: Dr. Gopakumar R. Pillai (Former Scientist, Center for Water Resources Development and Management, India) Date: 23 March 2015 10:00-11:30 Venue: Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Research Building No.5, 2nd floor, Medium Lecture Room, Yoshida Campus <Summary> The Vembanad wetland in India, which is declared as a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar site), has been facing many environmental issues during the recent decades. Two major artificial interventions that altered the water system of this tidal wetland are land reclamation for rice cultivation and construction of a salinity barrier across the lake connecting the wetland to the Arabian Sea. In this talk, the environmental issues of Vembanad wetland are presented together with topography of the region and hydrologic characteristics of water system in terms of river flow patterns and its variability, seasonal water level variations, residence time and overall water balance. Changes in the hydrology of wetland that resulted through artificial interventions are identified as the major cause of the environmental issues. *Requirement: Submission of short report after the lecture