Examine the edaphic and hydrological profile of the Vembanad wetland system: Assertion (A): The Vembanad Lake acts as a natural flood buffer during high monsoonal discharge from its feeding rivers. Reason (R): The Thaneermukham Bund salinity barrier was constructed across the lake to prevent saltwater intrusion into upstream agricultural lands during low tide periods. Which of the following is correct?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are factually correct statements regarding the Vembanad wetland system. Vembanad indeed absorbs high river runoff during monsoons, acting as a natural retention basin, and the Thaneermukham barrage was built to regulate saline water ingress for paddy cultivation in Kuttanad. However, Reason (R) is not the mechanical cause of Assertion (A); flood buffering is a function of basin morphometry and storage capacity rather than salinity barrier operations. Ramsar wetlands provide critical ecological and hydrological services.