Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Lake protection panel to intensify action against sand-mining

Special Correspondent

Working group set up to formulate long-term plan to save Vellayani lake

Thiruvananthapuram: The Vellayani Jagratha Samithi, an action committee for the preservation of the Vellayani freshwater lake, on Tuesday decided to take stern action to stop fresh reclamation and check sand-mining from the lake bed.

A meeting of the Samiti chaired by George Mercier, MLA, set up a working group to formulate a long-term plan to save the lake from encroachments and pollution and preserve it as a freshwater resource. The project would be submitted to the Government for assistance.

The meeting decided to introduce a registration system for boats as part of the drive against sand-mining. The panchayats in the neighbourhood of the lake have been directed to take steps to ensure that all the boats using the lake are registered. It was also decided to carry out raids on mining grounds.

Panchayat presidents and secretaries who participated in the meeting called for steps to crack down on unauthorised sand mining and extraction of water from the lake. They said an average of 40 lakh litres of water were being drained every day through open wells located close to the shore. They also highlighted the contamination of the water by chemical fertilisers and pesticides used by farmers.

Revenue Divisional Officer K.V. Mohankumar called on vigilance committees to step up their activity and inform the authorities about illegal activities. He stressed the need to promote organic farming in the paddy, vegetable and banana fields bordering the lake.

The working group will meet on October 27 to formulate the action plan for conservation. Officials from the Irrigation, Agriculture and Soil Conservation departments, representatives of the district, block and gram panchayats, revenue and police officials, local farmers and non-governmental organisation (NGOs) were present.

The Samiti had identified sand-mining, encroachments, reclamation and conversion of land, extraction of water, pollution and unauthorised constructions as the immediate threats to the lake.

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 had shrunk to 650 hectares by 1972. In the 24 years hence, it has undergone an alarming rate of depletion.

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