Geography
Most areas of the Block Panchayat are situated at an average elevation of 3,000 feet above sea level. The block is located between 77° and 78° North latitude and 10° and 11° East longitude. It is bordered by the Kattappana and Nedumkandam blocks to the east, the Thodupuzha block to the west, the Elamdesam, Azhutha, and Kanjirappally blocks to the south, and the Adimali block to the north. The Idukki Block Panchayat comprises six Grama Panchayats.
Certainly. Here is a clear and formal English translation of the entire passage:
Water Availability, Land Use and Agricultural Crops
Water Availability
Most parts of the Block Panchayat receive an average annual rainfall of around 3,000 mm. Most of the low-lying areas have adequate water availability. However, since rainwater does not sufficiently percolate into the ground, water scarcity is common in the hilly areas during the summer season, despite receiving abundant rainfall. Although the Block Panchayat area is blessed with adequate water resources, it has to face severe drought conditions during the summer. More than 40 streams, along with the Thodupuzha River, Periyar River, and Chinnar River, flow through the Block Panchayat area.
Land Use
More than 60 percent of the total geographical area of Idukki Block Panchayat is under agricultural use. The remaining 40 percent comprises forest areas, the Idukki Reservoir, uncultivated wastelands, and land used for non-agricultural purposes.
Agricultural Crops
A mixed farming system that has evolved through decades of experience is generally practiced in this area. With the introduction of modern agricultural practices, food crops are gradually giving way to plantation crops and spices.
Rubber cultivation, which was once largely confined to Arakkulam Grama Panchayat, has now become common in other Grama Panchayats as well. Crops such as pepper, coffee, cardamom, cocoa, and clove are cultivated extensively in almost all the Grama Panchayats. Tea is also cultivated in the high-altitude areas of Arakkulam, Kamakshy, Vathikudy, and Mariyapuram Grama Panchayats.
The vast majority of people engaged in agriculture are small and marginal farmers. Climate change, crop diseases and pest attacks, and fluctuations and decline in agricultural prices are the major challenges faced by the agricultural sector in this area.
