The last time I visited The Akkulam Lake, I was unable to count the number of sea shells, unable to distinguish between the various chirps of the birds, and the shadow of the tree canopy cooled the land. My father told me that during his childhood days, this lake was even more beautiful and crosses my imagination.
A few days ago, I went back to the lake to revisit my childhood memories and I was shocked. Not even a quarter of the beautiful lake was left. What was once vast sparkly water is now reduced to algal bloom and dumped waste. So, it is in these past 3-5years that the illegal constructions around the lake began.
The government gave permission to construct a bridge road across the lake. The whole point of a bridge is to connect two distant areas without disrupting the water body. However this bridge has been constructed in the most unscientific manner. Clayey soil from the nearby land was dug up and used to support the whole bridge, thus blocking the flow of the lake by being a barrier. The plan says that the clayey soil will be removed but now due to the unscientific method of construction, the soil can’t be removed fully. The water is receding from near the bridge and the currents are affected. Migratory fish from the salt water to the fresh water will face obstruction in their pathway. Since the water is getting shallow, people are throwing waste nearby and the site is now nothing but pure tragedy to watch.
Many constructions like Lulu Mall are getting built right adjacent to the lake. These buildings are posing land pressure to the lake and to its ecosystem. Further these sites will dump the waste into the water body.
The government has been gaining profits from the funds taken for the boat rides for the lake. However the sad fact is that there are no more boats there yet the fund is still being taken. Further, the construction of the building is very much in defect that the lake water is overflowing there. Surrounding this, the lake emits odor from all the eutrophication caused due to water pollution. This is a tourist site but this site will only make you want to run away.
I study in a state where soft water is non-existent. When I came to visit this lake, I was still surprised by the fact that even after all the heavy water pollution and parallel illegal construction, the lake water is still soft. I am pretty sure that if the government would set aside the corruption minds-cape and actually see the consequences, they will decide to clean the lake and take down the illegal construction.
This lake was once home to very rare aquatic ecosystems. Now, you can see the dead fish floating on the water surface, empty clams and numerous mosquito nymphs. The land nearby housing trees for fruit bats, kingfishers, etc will all get affected now because the marine ecosystem plays a huge role in sustaining the terrestrial ecosystem too.
Since the lake soil is dug away, the aquatic organisms will be affected in terms of breeding. All these negative environmental impacts will only take its wrath on us slowly. We should act fast and try to preserve and rehabilitate this Akkulam Lake before it is too late.
