Legislators branded as the `Green Brigade' in the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala have decided to initiate a campaign to protect the 44 rivers in the state.

A legislation for setting up a river basin authority with statutory powers was the aim of the campaign, V D Satheesan (Cong), leader of the group in the UDF, said in a press release here.

T N Prathapan, Hibi Eden, V T Balaram (Cong), M V Shreyams Kumar (Socialist Janata-Democratic) and K M Shaji are the members of the `Green MLA group' in the UDF.

The campaign would begin from Neyyar in the capital district and conclude at Chandragiri in Kasaragod. It would be flagged off by environmental activist Medha Patkar on Thursday, the release said.

Poet and social activist Sugathakumari, poet V Madhusoodanan Nair, Gandhian P Gopinathan Nair and other activists would take part in the inaugural function.

Interactive sessions and debates would be held on the banks of rivers during the campaign involving activists of river protection committees, social workers, writers, scientists and cultural figures.

The move comes at a time when increasing illegal activities of the land mining mafia are coming out from across the state.