Coimbatore: The Valankulam Lake has virtually turned dry this rainy season that explains the absence of local and migrating birds that usually throng to this water body.
The Valankulam lake was an important water source for groundwater recharge in and around the area. It is surrounded by Sungam bypass road, which has the spread area of 160 acres. The total length of the lake bund is 3-km and it has five sewage inlets.
The lake, according to sources, receives supply from the anicut channel through the big lake and surpluses into a stream, which falls into the Singanallur lake. The depth of the lake was 4.5 m and the catchment area is 4.8 sq. km.
The Valankulam lake now presents a dry patch as Coimbatore district received minimum rainfall during the Northeast monsoon season. The lake remaining dry is a classic example of how inland water bodies have not benefitted from the seasonal rains in 2016. The anicut channel that feed the water body is also heavily encroached.
For bird watchers, the past one-month has been totally disappointing, as the birds are not visible from the stretch of the lake bunds. "There is no water in the lake. Birds usually throng these places in larger numbers considering the good water level, which spreads over hundreds of acres with good fish resources. If there is favourable water level, the birds even come near the Sungam bypass roadside, after catching fishes. Now, we have hardly seen the birds on the lake," said R.Sanjay, bird watcher of Saibaba Colony. The corporation workers have started de-silting the lake.
