Mangrov Island & Puthalam Salt Pans - Kanyakumari

 5 Km from Kanyakumari - Manakudy, a fisherman's village, devastated by tsunami. In the Pazhayar river which meets tha Arabian Sea at Manakudy, there is a Mangrove Island. You can reach there with the help of local fishermen friends. It is a hub of many migratory birds like Pelican , large coloured Cranes etc. You can actually see them fishing in the shalow water on the banks of the Island. You can also see fish skipping on the surface and landing on the boat. Its a great experience. Go and Enjoy.It lies between the Manakudy estuary and then Indian Ocean. The estuary is famous for its biodiversity and migrating birds. The wildlife department has recently introduced mangrove plantations.

Puthalam is a small coastal town situated near the city of Kanyakumari in southern Tamil Nadu, in the southernmost part of India. Puthalam can be found about 17 miles south of Nagercoil and it is a resort town near Highway 179.

picture: Ramkumar (puthalam)

Puthalam is also known for its salt pans, which have existed since the British colonial rule.The recent tsunami has devastated the surrounding fishing villages. It has a 200-year-old Christian church constructed by Ringel Taube, a German missionary. There is also a 200-year-old higher secondary school, L.M.P.C. Higher Secondary School.

SALT INDUSTRY IN KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT : Facts reveal that salt production in Kanyakumari district is carried on in a number of important places which are noted for their proximity to backwaters industry. So production is virtually impossible in any other region where backwater is conspicuous for its absence. The investigator has find out in the course of the survey that backwater is available in places like Swamythoppu, Puthallam, Rajakkamangalam, Kovalam Vattakottai and Colachel. A point which deserves an emphatic mention in this context is that salt production in places like Colachel and Vatakottai has been stopped because the profit margin available for salt producers in these regions has been reported to be hair thin.