KOLLAM: The Ashtamudi lake has become a victim of urban pollutants as the water body shares a major portion of the Kollam corporation. Studies have revealed that biological oxygen demand in the lake was 9mg per litre, which is nearly three times the standard set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for outdoor bathing. Dissolved oxygen was as low as 1mg per litre -- just one-sixth of the standards. While the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest had sanctioned funds since 2005 for three years, it was spent on unscientific purposes including construction of concrete boundary walls.
Restaurants, hospitals, and industrial and commercial establishments discharge solid and liquid waste, including toilet waste, into sewers which find their way into the lake, creating a stink in certain sections. “The hospitals near the lake have no storage tanks for sewage. They also lack proper treatment plants. Sewage including biomedical waste flows into the lake either through canals or by disposing it in tankers,” a source said.
The District Tourism Promotion Council employs people to collect plastic from the lake, rather than prevent it using a trap. The Kureepuzha dump yard also contributes to the pollution, said environmentalist V K Madhusoodanan. Another major issue is the oil pollution from the KSRTC bus station and boats with on-board engines. Workshops along the banks add to the problem.