Resilient Ezhikkara
Community action for tidal flood mitigation
Resilient Ezhikkara is a community-led initiative in coastal Ernakulam that integrates planning, ecosystem restoration, and innovation to strengthen local resilience against recurrent high-tide flooding.
Project Overview
Resilient Ezhikkara is a community-led pilot designed to build locally grounded resilience against high-tide flooding in the Ezhikkara panchayat, located on the Vembanad backwaters in coastal Ernakulam. Launched in March 2024 in partnership with Ezhikkara Grama Panchayat, the initiative combines community planning, ecosystem restoration, scientific mapping, and innovative construction solutions to reduce flood impacts on agriculture, households, livelihoods, and public infrastructure.
Co-creating resilience with communities
Ezhikkara is among the frontline panchayats of the Vembanad estuary, where saline inundation from frequent tidal flooding threatens lives and livelihoods. The Resilient Ezhikkara initiative adopts a co-creation approach, placing community knowledge and participation at the center of resilience planning. Together with local stakeholders, the project develops micro-actions and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for flood resilience rooted in nature-based solutions.
Key activities
This pilot aims to serve as a model for scaling community-driven, ecosystem-based adaptation in Kerala’s vulnerable coastal panchayats.











