Thrivikramji on tour of duty to Tidal Flats of Gujarat

Village roadside greenery

Closer look at the green fields.

Hard working villagers are not a rare sight any where in Gujarat

Intertidal flats of Kaach are desolate, monotonous and above all frightening.

My friend Mr. Ravindran in the midst of a newly planted rhizopora field.

Closer look of rhizopora

A sample

Another species

Silty clay sediment develops desication cracks during the long exposure under two weeks.

A panoramic view of the planted field.

At the end of the day the guys in the distance come back with a good bounty of fish

The day’s catch in the sacks. .

Crab and shell fish are also common.

A good sized catch.

Thrivikramji on tour of duty to Tidal Flats of Gujarat

Good food and better money at the end of a hard work day

The days trophy.

A rather deep tidal channels

Tidal lamination in silty clauy.

A long channel.

The tidal flow does not flood this field. Dikes and channels prevent flooding by the tidal influx.

Newly planted area spreading the greenery of new crops.

Thrivikramji on tour of duty to Tidal Flats of Gujarat

A SAMPLE.

A different species.

Mr. Ravindran and Vyas with natives- members of the GP.

Newly planted tidal flat.

Good catch

Catch on display

Good food and even good money

Quite a handsome catch and good food too.

A deeper tidal channel.

Silty clay layers here are exposed in a tidal channel. Each layer is like a varve, indicating one phase of deposition.

The gray stuff is salt encrusting on the sediment in a tidal channel.

A planted and growing field away from the reach of tidewaters.

Waiting at level crossing.

A developing rain storm

U cross these tracts before reaching the civilized towns like Bhuj

A long shot at one of those hills.

Monotonous greeish fields.

The line up obviously is at a level cross, in a closed railway gate.

A rain storm in the making or actually pouring down.

These hills are only exception to otherwise the plain land in the western Gujarat

Looks like a volcanic cone?

This is a temple. Interestingly the cellar/street level floor of the temple is residential area of the priests as well as college going students hailing from distant villages.

The rover rushing down the street.

The black valve is actually a control valve of crude oil pipeline.

One got to fill up before venturing to the villages. Eateries are very uncommon in the small frontier villages.

Thrivikramji on tour of duty to Tidal Flats of Gujarat

Flooded channel.

Flooded tidal channel.

Another view of the same. At distance is a storage tank.

Flooded channel.

Interesting hybrid-a motor cycle and a multi person cab.

Closer view of the tidal path rover

A member of the team inspecting a natural species.

Rhizopora?

Planting material ready to be planted.

Closer view of ready to plant material.

The planting of the mangrove species is under teh afforestation program. Workers get pay under the NREGS.

Taking a break from the portering the planting material.

Not sure how old this girl is? She would have reached the working age group?.

Another view at low tide – a tidal flat.

A tidal pool.

A bridge washed off by a storm along a road formed in the tidal flats.

Walking down the dike is a thrill on an overcast day.

Day is getting grayer.

Tide water is ponded here.

But is rather dry.

A statue of a goddess near the temple.

The statue is perched on the dike and hence relatively safe.

Low tide view of the tidal flat.

The tide falling leaving the channel floor dry.

This girl is the spouse of a Andaman based scientist, who happened to share the day with us in or team.The man is out looking for dolphins in the distance.

A breached road in the flats

The dikes made of mud is very vulnerable to rain erosion and destruction.

This flag pole is part of a temple in the mud flats.

See the temple structure in t he background

This long dike keeps the tidal flood waters at bay.

An edge of the Gulf of Cambay- northern edge. A rain storm in the making. The masonry is the ruins of a factory shed. A new harbour is planned in the distant horizon.

Water buffaloes enjoy a dip regularly in t hese waters.

The land lady here offered a nourishing cup of tea to our party.

View south from the verandah

Our hostess.

This green grass is a fodder for the cattle in the village.

Planted fields in the mid ground.