THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:'Kadavil', a people's collective comprising residents' associations, fishermen, political parties and environmental organisations and clubs, was formed by Venganoor grama panchayat members to help revive the Vellayani lake.
The freshwater lake, which is a source of water for thousands in the district, has been deteriorating due to the accumulation of weed, water hyacinths and illegal waste dumping. The people's collective aims to restore the lake to its past glory.
It will remove the garbage and weeds from the lake on October 31. R S Sreekumar, president of Venganoor grama panchayat, said despite many cleaning drives and programmes undertaken by various government and non-government organisations, residents and students for the past two years, the lake is still dirty.
Apart from removing waste and other debris, Kadavil also wants to transform Vellayani lake and its surroundings into a sought-after tourist spot with cycle paths, butterfly parks, boating facilities, and open gyms. “We aim to conserve the waterbody which harbours a wide variety of native fish species and migratory birds,” said Sreekumar.
The collective will also conduct workshops in the Vellayani region on sustainable solutions to protect and conserve the environment. Weekly markets that sell organic vegetables and other value-added products by Kudumbashree will also be organised.