At a time the government is moving ahead with the protection of Vellayani freshwater lake, a government agency - Kerala Water Authority - is posing a threat by reclaiming a portion of the lake for tapping water for the Kalliyoor -Venganoor- Vizhinjam water supply scheme.
Despite protests from the Kalliyoor Panchayat and the Vellayani Kayal Samrakshana Samithi, the Water Authority has reclaimed around ten cents of land from the lake. The Samithi and the DYFI are planning widespread protests against the project. They said that though they were not against the drinking water project, they were not for reclamation, which has already taken a severe toll on the lake.
Kalliyoor panchayat president and an associate of the Vellayani Kayal Samrakshana Samithi S Udayakumar said that there was protest against reclaiming the lake as the only freshwater lake in the district was already under threat.
Stating that it was only as a solution to the acute water shortage in the area that they had given the nod for the project, he said: ‘’Earlier, the Water Authority wanted to reclaim a portion in the middle of the lake. But this proposal was given up following opposition. The area now reclaimed is near the road across the lake,’’ he said. The Water Authority had insisted on reclaiming the land citing studies, he added.
DYFI district committee member Sreeraj S R, who is also associated with the Kayal Samrakshana Samithi, said that there was widespread protest against the reclamation.
‘’When there were many other options for digging the well inside the lake like by erecting pillars, the authorities are adamant in reclaiming the lake,’’ he said and added that it was unscientific. He also said that the area that was reclaimed was abundant with fish.
According to Sreeraj, the DYFI would go ahead with the protest plan after looking into the legal aspects. ‘’Next week, the DYFI will stage a protest against the filling of the lake,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, a Water Authority official said that only a small area of lake was reclaimed and that there was no threat to the water body. Authority Assistant Executive Engineer Narayanan Nair said that the reclamation was done only after proper studies. ‘’Only a small area is reclaimed for the project. A well will be dug in the reclaimed land. The reclamation is done for setting up a pump house only.’’
He also said that similar wells were dug in different part of the lake. ‘’There are four to five wells in the lake and this one will also be built on the same lines,’’ Nair said.