How Kerala’s labyrinthine backwaters sustain a unique life below sea level

Countries & Cities · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Spanning over 900 kilometers, Kerala’s backwaters are a complex network of lagoons, canals, and lakes. This fragile ecosystem supports ancient agricultural traditions, including farming conducted meters below sea level, while serving as a vital artery for trade, tourism, and a rich variety of endemic aquatic wildlife.

The Kerala backwaters form a vast, labyrinthine system of 34 interconnected lagoons, rivers, and canals running parallel to the Arabian Sea. Created by wave action and shore currents that formed barrier islands across river mouths, this network is fed by 38 rivers originating in the Western Ghats. To maintain the delicate balance between freshwater and saltwater, a barrage at Thanneermukkom prevents seawater intrusion, ensuring the freshwater remains suitable for irrigation.

The region is perhaps most famous for Kuttanad, a unique agricultural landscape where farming occurs 1.2 to 3.0 meters below sea level, a feat comparable to the dikes of the Netherlands. In 2013, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recognized this below-sea-level system as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System. Beyond agriculture, the backwaters host three Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands of international importance: Ashtamudi Lake, Sasthamkotta Lake, and the Vembanad-Kol wetlands.

Tourism has transformed the region, with over 2,000 motorized houseboats—or kettuvallams—plying the waters. Originally used as grain barges to transport rice, these vessels are now floating cottages. However, this growth has introduced environmental challenges, as pollution from diesel engines threatens the ecosystem. Efforts to mitigate this include initiatives like the 'Jeevananu Ashtamudi, Jeevikkanam Ashtamudi' project, which introduces electric boats and biodiversity circuits to preserve the area's natural integrity.

The backwaters are deeply embedded in local culture, serving as the stage for traditional boat races like the Nehru Trophy Boat Race, which originated after a 1952 visit by Jawaharlal Nehru. From the coir-making home industries of Munroe Island to the historic boatbuilding traditions of Beypore, the backwaters remain a living, breathing landscape that has supported local livelihoods for centuries.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• On India's Malabar Coast, farmers grow rice below sea level
• A shallow strait once linked India and Sri Lanka as dry land
• Chilika Lake: A Shifting, Ancient Lagoon That Breathes With the Monsoon and Sea
• Monsoon rivers dump a million-square-mile bay of sediment
• India’s western wall wrings monsoon rain from the sea
• The Turquoise Cascades of Laos: A Natural Wonder Shaped by Human History
• Why Europe's largest glacier relies on heavy snowfall rather than freezing temperatures
• The deep-sea abyss that briefly held the title of the world's deepest point
• A secret duck hunt on this Georgia island birthed the Federal Reserve System
• Deep in the Congo lies a waterfall with an unbroken drop of 340 meters
• How the Izu–Bonin–Mariana arc reveals the secret origins of nascent volcanic systems
• Why this massive Alaskan ice lobe is technically not a single glacier at all

More in Other hydrological features · More in Countries & Cities · Latest · A–Z · All topics