ALAPPUZHA: The Alappuzha district administration has rolled out a Rs 188.25-crore project to breathe new life into Vembanad lake.
The comprehensive project is aimed at cleaning, deepening and restoring the fragile ecosystem of the lake. Designed as a five-year action plan, the initiative is spearheaded by District Collector Alex Varghese and being executed in partnership with local self-government bodies.
The blueprint of the project — christened the ‘Vembanad Lake Rejuvenation Project’ — was recently presented to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. It outlines both immediate interventions and long-term ecological goals.
Alex said the cost estimates may undergo revisions following a detailed assessment by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, which is currently examining the region’s water resources and irrigation potential.
“Short-term measures include removal of plastic debris, eradication of invasive weeds, construction of bio-shields to protect agricultural lands and the development of 31, one-km-long bio-bunds across as many as grama panchayats. Additional efforts such as fish ranching and waste collection drives are also on,” Alex said.
The long-term strategies envision a more sustainable future for Vembanad and surrounding areas. These include dredging the lake to increase water retention, encouraging organic farming to curb chemical run-off, restoring local biodiversity and establishing sewage and faecal sludge treatment facilities, particularly in flood-prone Kuttanad.
There are also plans to explore the economic potential of the water hyacinths by converting those into value-added products, alongside promoting tourism and boosting inland fish production.
Already, significant progress has been made, said officials. In a recent largescale clean-up backed by the district administration, 28.72 tonnes of plastic waste and an even higher quantity of water hyacinths were removed from the lake. However, the officials admitted that rejuvenating the waterbody will be an uphill task requiring extensive financial resources, advanced machinery, skilled manpower and inter-agency coordination.
Among the key obstacles identified in an expert committee report are illegal houseboats, which remain a major source of pollution. While the proposal advocates strict regulation of unauthorised vessels, past enforcement efforts have yielded limited success. Land encroachment poses another challenge, with the report stressing the need for robust political will and decisive action to reclaim illegally occupied areas.
As Vembanad is central to the Kuttanad wetland ecosystem, its revival is expected to positively impact agriculture, fisheries and the broader environment. With climate change exacerbating issues like sea-level rise, erratic monsoons and frequent flooding, restoring the lake is seen as crucial to enhancing the region’s resilience.
Lake view
Length 96.5 km
Districts covered: Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam
Major rivers that drain into the lake: Six (Pampa, Manimala, Achankovil, Meenachil, Periyar and Muvattupuzha)
Fish species: Around 150
Annual fish production: 4,387 tonnes (2012-13)
Around 2 lakh people, inland fishermen and clam collectors, depend on the lake for livelihood
Sources: Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies & the expert committee report prepared as part of the Vembanad Lake Rejuvenation Project