Residents participating in a swimming event organised by a group of environmental activists in the Iruvazhinji river on February 1.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Seeking scientific measures to control the growing population of aggressive otters and to strengthen action against attempts by private landholders to encroach upon riverbanks, local environmental activists and residents organised a mass bathing programme and an amateur swimming event in the Iruvazhinji river near Kodiyathur in Kozhikode district on Sunday (February 1). Children also took part in the event.
Local body representatives and members of various voluntary organisations participated in the creative protest, which was organised under the leadership of the Chaliyar Divers Collective and the Iruvazhinji River Protection Committee. Kodiyathur grama panchayat president T. Kavitha inaugurated the programme.
The organisers said the fear caused by recurring otter attacks on people bathing in the river remained unaddressed despite repeated complaints by residents. They alleged that many people had withdrawn from river protection and conservation activities due to concerns over the increasing otter population.
P.K.C. Mohammed, a member of the organising committee, said areas of the river regularly used for bathing by residents should at least be safeguarded from the entry of dangerous otters. He added that there had been no favourable response from the authorities so far, even though several people had sustained injuries in such incidents.
Participants also urged the authorities to intensify surveillance and inspections to curb attempts by private landholders to encroach upon revenue land along the river. They pointed out that the river was also being polluted through the dumping of waste materials and plastic.
Karassery grama panchayat president G. Abdul Akbar administered an oath expressing the villagers’ solidarity with the authorities in protecting the river. Rena Fathima, a seven-year-old child selected as the brand ambassador of Mukkom municipality’s swimming coaching programme, was honoured on the occasion, along with selected social media activists and divers.
Published – February 01, 2026 06:54 pm IST
