Vembanad Lake

Why in the News?

• A ₹188.25 crore comprehensive five-year plan has been submitted to the Kerala Chief Minister, with possible revisions based on ongoing studies by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM).
• Eight subcommittees have been constituted across sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, water resources, biodiversity, sanitation, and disaster management to coordinate the restoration.
• Over the last century, Vembanad Lake has shrunk alarmingly, with a 27% reduction in surface area between 1917 and 1990, primarily due to land reclamation, sedimentation, and encroachment.
• Recent cleaning drives have removed 72 tonnes of plastic waste and large quantities of water hyacinth from the lake.

About Vembanad Lake

• Vembanad Lake is the longest lake in India and the largest in the state of Kerala, stretching approximately 5 km in length.
• It spans across three Kerala districts: Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam, and covers an area of around 2,033 square kilometres.
• The lake is known by different local names, such as Vembanad Kayal, Vembanad Kol, Punnamada Lake (in Kuttanad), and Kochi Lake (in Kochi).
• It is fed by six major rivers, notably the Meenachil, Achankovil, Pamba, and Manimala, and has an outlet into the Arabian Sea on the western side.
• Vembanad encompasses important islands such as Pathiramanal, Perumbalam, and Pallippuram, making it a prominent part of Kerala’s backwater tourism circuit.
• It hosts the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary on its eastern shore, enhancing its ecological and tourism value.
• The famous Nehru Trophy Snake Boat Race (Vallam Kali) is conducted annually in August in the Punnamada segment of the lake.
• Vembanad Lake is part of the Vembanad-Kol Wetland, which was designated as a Ramsar site in 2002 for its international ecological importance.