Kerala’s Vembanad Lake
Recently the waters of Vembanad lake are stirring once again. A robust vaccination drive underway has raised hopes of the Kerala houseboat industry to open for business as early as July.
Key Points:
- This lake is also known as Punnamada Lake in Kuttanad and Kochi Lake in Kochi, as well as Vembanad Kayal, Vembanad Kol.
- In Kerala it covers an area of more than 02 kms. The main source of this lake is related to 4 rivers Meenachil, Achankovil Pampa and Manimala.
- It is separated from the Arabian Sea by a narrow island, and forms a popular ‘Lagoon Rift’ in Kerala.
- Vallam Kali i.e. ‘Nehru Trophy Boat Race’ is a snake boat race which is organized every year in the month of August at Vembanad Lake.
- In the year 2002, this lake was included in the list of wetlands of international importance. Wetlands are defined by the Ramsar Convention.
- It is the second largest Ramsar region in India after the Sundarbans Delta in West Bengal.
- The Vembanad wetlands have been identified by the Government of India under the ‘National Wetlands Conservation Programme’.
- Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is situated on the eastern bank of this lake.
- In the year 2019, Vembanad Lake was created by separating some part of Willingdon Island which is located in the city of Kochi.
- One of the most prominent features of this lake is the Thanneermukkom, a 1252-metre-long brackish water flood, which was created with the aim of containing salt water in Kuttanad.
Source – The Hindu
