Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Action plan to conserve Vellayani lake

Special Correspondent

Proposal to be submitted to Government for aid under River Management Fund

TROUBLED WATERS: Land reclamation and pollution have hampered conservation efforts of the freshwater body. Photo: S. Gopakumar

Thiruvananthapuram: The district administration has chalked out an action plan to save Vellayani Lake from encroachments and pollution and preserve it as a freshwater resource.

An action committee, chaired by Kovalam MLA George Mercier, has been formed to keep vigil against threats to the lake and implement the action plan for conservation. The committee, Vellayani Jagratha Samithi, comprises the Revenue Divisional Officer, officials of the Irrigation, Agriculture and Soil Conservation departments, representatives of the district, block and gram panchayats, Corporation councillors, Revenue and Police officials and local farmers.

The committee has identified sand-mining, encroachments, land reclamation and conversion, extraction of water, pollution and unauthorised constructions as the immediate threats to the water body. A short- term plan has been finalised to tackle these problems.

Local-level Vigilance teams have been constituted to prevent unauthorised sand-mining from the lake and neighbouring areas. Mr. Mercier said the enhanced vigil had helped check sand-mining.

The Samithi has also mooted a proposal to construct granite retaining walls at the bathing ghats and take steps to restrict access to lorries transporting sand collected from the lakebed. The project will be submitted to the Government for assistance from the River Management Fund.

The Samithi has drawn up a long- term plan to conserve the lake. In the initial phase, a team of surveyors would be deployed to scrutinise land records and identify the extent of the lake. Spread over 750 hectares in 1926, the Vellayani lake shrunk to 650 hectares by 1972. In the 24 years hence, it has depleted at an alarming rate, now covering hardly 450 hectares. The Samithi is planning to move the Government with a request to take over the 96 hectares of registered land bordering the water body and enact legislation to regulate the sale of large land holdings.

Another key component of the plan is natural protection of boundaries of the lake by planting mangroves and bamboo along the banks. Earthen bunds will be constructed along the periphery to prevent soil erosion, while rainwater harvesting will be made mandatory in the neighbouring areas to retain the groundwater table.

The Samithi also recommended the promotion of organic farming in the six collective farms to prevent pollution by chemical fertilisers and pesticides. RDO K.V. Mohankumar said the proposals would be submitted to the Union Government for release of conservation funds.

In 1992, the Assembly Committee on Environment chaired by K.P.Nooruddin had reported on the dangers to the lake but the Government dragged its feet on measures to protect it.

Vellayani is one of the three rain-fed freshwater lakes in Kerala, the other two being Sasthamcotta in Kollam and Pookkode in Wayanad. The lake is dewatered twice annually for paddy cultivation by the 500-odd farmers. But, the five panchayats surrounding the lake — Thiruvallam, Kalliyoor, Venganoor, Nemom and Kovalam — go dry during summer forcing the Government to spend a huge sum to reach water in mobile tankers.

The lake replenished by 64 rivulets, is about a metre above sea level, permitting easy dewatering through the Madhupalam spillway, near Thiruvallam. The annual dewatering leads to severe groundwater depletion, affecting all the panchayats. During the monsoon, the same areas are inundated, again forcing the Government to shell out lakhs of rupees as compensation to the flood- hit.

Local farmers who have organised into six collective farms are campaigning for paddy cultivation. But scientific opinion observes that the fertilisers and pesticides used by the farmers are polluting the lakebed.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Action plan to conserve Vellayani lake
Speed governors can save Rs.87.54 crore for KSRTC
Reorient decentralisation: Patnaik
A crusader for world peace
Professional running of coop. banks sought
Chikungunya claims four more lives
Young World Quiz to begin on October 5
Corporation suffers loss in water supply contract
Antony to blame, says Chief Minister
Around The City
In Thiruvananthapuram Today

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu