THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Evenings at Vellayani are breathtaking. The sunset amidst the second largest freshwater lake in Kerala, fishermen on boats and birds flying in the backdrop of the setting sun on the western horizon will leave the visitors in awe. A favourite spot of bird watchers and photographers, the government hopes to attract more people to the destination. The project to make Vellayani a tourist destination under Responsible Tourism is progressing.
The continuous garbage dumping and the growth of African weed and hydrilla had put a barrier to the picturesque location. But, as a result of the activities of a few NGOs and environmentalists, the government finally intervened in the issue. Within three months, Swasthi Foundation cleared as much as 25 per cent of the aquatic plants from the lake in the first phase of Revive Vellayani Rejuvenation project.
The government has asked the foundation to carry on with the beautification process to attract more tourists to Vellayani. “We are planning to create an island at Vellayani. The lake is a unique ecosystem for a few rare birds, fish and flora. We are planning to plant more saplings to attract birds to the destination,” says Abey George, secretary of Swasthi Foundation.
The rejuvenation works are in progress at Vavvamoola Lake. It will take another 20 days to finish the de-weeding here. “As many as 3,800 loads of weeds were removed from the lake in three months. which is only 25 per cent of the total growth,” he added.
After the rejuvenation works at Vavvamoola Lake is completed, the work will be continued at Kakkamoola. A detailed study on biodiversity, socio-economic study and study on birds have been carried out by the foundation as part of the project. The project will soon be submitted to the tourism department.
During the inauguration of the second phase on Saturday, Minister for Cooperation, Tourism and Devaswom Kadakampally Surendran said the fund for the tourism project will be provided from Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board. The Revive Vellayani project is being implemented with the joint help of Tourism Department, Irrigation Department and Swasthi Foundation.
The lake, which was once spread around 1,853 acres, has shrunk to a mere 428 acres due to encroachment. The lake is used to supply 20 million litres of water every day to the public water supply system.