Vellayani lake sinks, government inert

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as environmentalists continue to lament the dipping water levels at Vellayani lake, the conservation efforts here are minimal as government still does not own the one-kilometre square area of the lake. The  shallow part of the 7.5 sq-km lake was earlier being cultivated, but  when cultivation stopped, this was submerged. As per independent studies, the water level has dipped massively and around 400 square metres of the lake has been lost in the past decade. The water inflow from feeder canals like Pallichal  also has been reduced.

The government had in 1957, 1967 and 1977 given  away over 250 acres of land with title deeds  to promote paddy cultivation in the district. Later, the cultivation  stopped and most of the land was submerged under water. However, the farmers who had paid tax for the land would not cede the land without compensation. “We have fixed a sum for compensation and forwarded the request to the government. We need to get a nod from the state in this regard,” said Collector S. Venkatesapathy.

The environmentalists say that around three years have been wasted awaiting  state government notifications. “Some owners still hope to reclaim the land and sell it off. There has to be concrete steps to reclaim this,” said Mr Rufus Daniel, an activist. Several influential owners who posses the land hope  to use it for resort construction, he added. Sewage waste from several panchayat and corporation wards is washed into the lake through feeder canal. As per studies by the local NGOs, the lotus cultivation here also threatens the water level in the lake.