Lakes are collection centres of water from streams, and rivulets, and are in many cases, the interface between fresh water sources and sea water. Near the sea side, they are fed by rivers or rivulets and are protected from sea water by a naturally formed sand bar. They provide a habitat to aquatic lives, birds and are a breeding and spawning ground too. In addition, they absorb most of the flood waters and rainfall runoff, and keep the waters available in case of a drought later. They also maintain water levels in nearby wells high. No wonder why many lakes are declared as Protected water bodies by the Ramsar Convention.
But what is happening to them?
Simply put, they are on the verge of extinction, due to the following factors
1. Aggressive plant and aquatic life
2. Human activity
3. Climatic changes, owing to Global warming
Lakes in Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram can boast of having Four lakes inside the district: Akkulam-Veli lake, Vellayani Lake, Kadinamkulam lake and Anchuthengu lake and one on the periphery (edava-nadayara lake) . As already mentioned, they are home to a wide range of biodiversity. In the first part of this post, I would focus on the Akkulam Lake, the one close to the fast developing region of the city.
District Map: Image source: Google maps
(bottom to top: vellayani, akkulam-veli, kadinamkulam, anchuthngu, edava-nadayara)
(bottom to top: vellayani, akkulam-veli, kadinamkulam, anchuthngu, edava-nadayara)
1. Akkulam-Veli lake: A lake marred by unsustainable development
The akkulam veli lake system, which once had the shape of a mother's womb, is located close to the sea, and was nourished by the rivulets, streams and canals that approached it from inland and hills. The lake was flanked by hills, paddy fields and numerous wetlands, all making a wonderful ecosystem. No wonder, the place became famous from tourism point of view.
The 15 year difference .... Image source: Google Earth
Akkulam- Veli lake and old bridge (2016): Photo (author)
Old topo maps show existence of a ferry system too. The parvathy puthanar connects it with the karamana, killi rivers, and kadinamkulam lake forming the TS canal.The amayizhanchan thodu, which is a confluence of three thodus (pazhavangadi, pattom and ulloor thodu brought in storm water from the city, The kariyil thodu brough tin waters from the southern part to parvathy puthanar and the thettiyar rivulet system fed the lakes from the northern part of the city through a network of ponds, streams and canals.
(these are discussed elsewhere : https://smartcitytvm-rpk.blogspot.com/2018/08/floods-in-kerala-few-thoughts-part-i.html , https://smartcitytvm-rpk.blogspot.com/2018/05/smart-city-we-killed-our-rivers-and.html , https://smartcitytvm-rpk.blogspot.com/2016/ , https://rpkcet.blogspot.com/2015/05/gods-own-country.html )
Developments at Akkulam
Humans can't exist without development. Life styles have changed drastically; need for better facilities is understandable. Thus, need for connectivity across places gave rise to road networks and the congested NH 47 in the city necessitated a Bypass which evolved during the end of 1990s. The ferry was replaced by a bund, on which the first bridge at akkulam came up.
The evolution of NH bypass triggered a ribbon development, and of course it was sort of uncontrolled. Expansion of Technopark took place at one end, which subsequently saw rise of flats, apartments, villas all alongside the highway. More and more development resulted in the hills being converted to residential plots, and water bodies being diverted or encroached upon.
Akkulam tourist village was established on the shore of the lake with facilities for boating and recreation. As part of tourism project, a walkway was constructed alongside (on inside?) the lake. Well, having a stroll on the red walk way feeling the breeze is highly rejuvenating, that must be admitted. But why the walkway had to be inside the lake? Aggressive growth of water hyacinth and other plants put an end to boating too.
No, as per records, lake is on the left hand side : so the right hand side may be filled up!!!
Unscientific construction practices cut off water inlets (photo: author)
Excited, my kids are at the red walkway and the fish at the dead-end(2016),
but what they are unaware is that they are in the lake (photo: author)
This too is on left side of the walkway (between the road and walkway), dry land, isn't it?
(photo: author)
Besides IT firms and residential complexes, the bypass saw a surge in the number of Schools, hospitals, Automobile showrooms, Malls and restaurants. The road, which was wide enough to cater to traffic demand became a bottleneck in a decade.
Now what about the wastes?
Then (2016) it was carrying plastic wastes ...now too (this time as landfill)
Photo: Author
Lack of space can be a justification to the rise of skyscrapers and towers, but where will the garbage and sewage from these would go? Humans seem to have reached a ridiculous solution to this: get rid of them from my flat/compound, and dump them elsewhere (be it a vacant plot, govt land, and worst: water bodies). The private collection system of septic tank waste, only took it to dump in street drains and waterbodies. Arrival of all in one place shopping systems brought in a plethora of refill (plastic) bags, pet bottles, plastic pouches, cloth "like" carrybags. People found it easier to wrap waste in plastic and dump, so that they are not littered. The City's drains and thodus and riveulets, rivers, and whatever, were clogged in no time, and resulted in flooding (backwards) in the heart of the city and (forward) low lying lands like karamana, karimanal, and nalpathadippalam. Akkulam-veli lake system had to bear the brunt of the wastes and sewage that flow in at enormous amounts continuously. The lake got silted and steps are ongoing since 2010 to desilt the lake system.
Lake-side development
Need (rather greed) for space soon saw the surrounding land getting densely occupied by various buildings and structures. Now the focus was on the lake shore. The ulloor kuzhivila road was constructed and later widened to handle the excess traffic and to offer connectivity from Ulloor to NH bypass, though a dangerous intersection at Kuzhivila. The road split up the land into two, thus cutting off most water inlets to the lake and making one side a "dry land". As in the case of Bypass road, ribbon development started along side this one too; it is saddening to see that even government establishments were setup between the road and the lake, the NISH, the legal metrology office and upcoming convention centre, just to mention a few.
"Hill-view" "Lake view", "water front" are the catchy trademarks of the apartment buildings. More such buildings sprang up on the lake shore within the coastal regulation zone as well as the hills around (bringing the hills down of course). But what the developers forget is that the hills and valleys need to remain to offer the views. Demolition of hills also put an end to the streams flowing in to the lake. So were the fresh water sources in the surrounding wetlands buried under tonnes of soil and rocks from these hills, ending the biodiversity there
Crane at work on hill top (2016)
Hill view, Lake view: ultimately, where's the hill or lake?
The hill seen in picture (2016) is cut through by NH66 and service roads;
what is seen is almost just a curtain wall now.
(photos: author)
Developments on lakeshore (2016) the other side is almost walled now.
(Photo: author)
Filling the lake: but not with water
Traffic snarls in the Bypass and need to connect vizinjam, kovalam and other strategic locations through a higher speed corridor resulted in the NH 66 Kazhakuttam-Karode bypass NH 66. A four lane road with service roads emerged, cutting through the hills and bridging water bodies. A huge hill that was part of the akkulam veli lake system is now only partially seen. One more bridge came up in the lake, the bund of which, along with that of old bridge again split the lake, affecting tidal flow. Service roads filled up the water bodies and the culverts built to let water cross the highway were rendered useless and became stagnant garbage bins.
Encroachment is not a new term in India, especially true with our state. Without learning the lessons from nature, which were offered in in the form of the disaster in 2018, the hills are crumbling down, water bodies are shrinking and the marshes are being filled up with earth.
Culvert that split the lake and proposed site for convention centre (in oval):
is it a wetland, really?
(One of the tell-tale clues on how a road can cause damage to wetlands).
The green band between the walkway and road is being rapidly converted to plots.
Needless to say bout the other side
Akkulam too is no exception. While the lake is being de-silted at one end, the region between the walkway and the ulloor-kuzhivila road is being widely encroached and filled up, worst with building demolition debris and plastic wastes. It seems like our rules, and regulations are too weak to address the issue. Now, are they really weak or we lack proper enforcement. Or is it that the developers are not aware of the gravity of the work they do? Are they not aware that they and their future generations would suffer because of this? Awareness campaigns are a necessity now, to make the people educated on need for sustainable development.
cricket grounds emerging from the lake
This too, is not a wetland !!! ... (the road separated the wetlands and the lake, lake on right)
Can you blame someone if they mistake the greens for
dry land and fill them, that too, with plastic waste?
dry land and fill them, that too, with plastic waste?
(photos:author)
(a)
(b)
Though they look the same with greyish black waters, they are two:
a) Kariyil thodu at kallummoodu and b)Amayizhanchan thodu at pattoor ,
all ultimate feeders to the Akkulam lake
all ultimate feeders to the Akkulam lake
(photos:author)
We dump wastes in this stagnant water body ...
and expect it to carry the wastes away in the rains?
Pazhavangadi thodu (photo:author)
In a nutshell
From the divine shape of a mother's womb which gives birth to a plethora of biodiversity, a majestic, beautiful water body was reduced to the form and dimensions of a sick stomach or rectum ....in a span of just 15 years..... meanwhile, the surrounding wetlands, which were lungs and kidneys of earth, were reduced to the size and shape of a dry, shrunk, cancerous lung or blocked urinary bladder .....The surrounding hills, which gave sparkling streams like a nectaring mother's love, were crushed down to make deep, unhealing wounds on mother earth's chest... wondering what they were decades before ....
In this status too, they are receiving all damage and wastes, doing as much as they could to sustain the lives within and around ... destruction continues.... but for what, who is going to gain? Akkulam ... veli lakes... are we not aware or are we pretending to sleep?.... well, we will move on until we welcome sewage in to our kitchens in the near future ..... and wastewater through supply pipelines....or, will we live with that too?
yes, anyone who would voice for nature and environment will be easily labelled as fake environmentalist; but may i ask you, fellow human beings, can satellite pictures lie?can't we go for sustainable development solutions?
Concluding
Our lakes, hills, rivers and other wetlands are what mother earth have given us to make our lives beautiful, co-exisiting with other life forms. It is a ridiculous stupidity to think that by destroying these we can improve our standards of life. Let us think of co-existence with nature in our infrastructure projects. Let every construction be strictly monitored for environmental impact, and necessary changes to make them sustainable be incorporated in plan. As we see all around now a days, people are fighting with wild life and among themselves for water. Let's conserve what's left out, at least, to avoid such issues in future. Let us live and let live.
This is OUR earth, our environment, and WE are supposed to take care of it, as asset of a human community. Let us, be it developers, government officials, or general public, please give up all tussles and unite for the cause of sustainable development. Let us save ourselves and future generations.
One last remark to those advocates of development, who destroy or consent to destroy hills, water bodies and wetlands: Please drink a mouthful of water from these, and prove that you are immune; or please take a dip there and rejuvenate yourselves. Can you? If the answer is no, think twice then... the clock is ticking.
(Special thanks to Mr. Sanjeev SJ of Environmental Protection and Research Council (EPRC) for all support, information and motivation).
Please feel free to offer comments and suggestions.
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