This book attempts to demonstrate the history of Kayal reclamation, Present-day land, and water management and also attempts to show the vulnerability of people to flood in a below mean sea level wetland Kuttanad. Land and water are the most common natural resources on the earth. Human civilizations have flourished in areas where fresh water is available in sufficient quantity and managed properly. Similar is the case of availability and management of land. Thus man has tried to reclaim land from sea/ocean/wetland. Moreover, such reclamation leads to the transformation of the natural water ecosystem into a man-made ecosystem with the Netherlands as a good example. Land and water management for agri-pisciculture in the polders of Kuttanadthe wetland is important from the point of view of food production. Annual floods turn into disasters, hence vulnerability assessment at the micro level becomes essential if we are to create a culture of disaster resilience which requires knowledge of not only flood occurrence but also the physical, social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities existing among the different socio-economic groups living in Kuttanad.

Dr. Sarath Chandran is presently working as an assistant professor on contract at the Central University of Karnataka. He holds a Mphil degree from Madurai Kamaraj University and a Ph.D. from North-Eastern Hill University Shillong Meghalaya. Dr. Subrata Purkayastha is an Assistant Professor at North-Eastern Hill University Shillong Meghalaya.