Kollam: The Ashtamudi lake is stinking due to the callous attitude of the authorities towards protecting it from pollution. Being one of the wetlands of international importance, it was declared as the first Ramsar site in the state at the Ramsar convention in Iran, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands, on August 19, 2002.
But the lake continues to be a dumping yard of wastes from urban settlements, hospitals and establishments. It is an ordeal for the people commuting through it or by its side due to the stench emanating from the lake.
“The entire urban waste is being dumped into the Ashtamudi lake as the people find it a convenient place to dispose it of. Liquid waste is the main source of threat to the ecosystem in the lake,” Mr V.K. Madhusoodanan, environment activist and environment sub-committee convenor of the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad, told DC.
The lake contains within its catchment area liquid and solid effluent from the corporation and 12 panchayats. Toilet waste and drainage outlets of hotels and other settlements are destroying it.
“The population of oysters in it has been declining over the years. Every oyster takes in 20 litres of water per hour to act as a biological water purifier, which is badly affected by the presence of heavy metals, including lead, leading to their death,” Mr. Madhusoodanan added.
The lake was included in the Ramsar convention recognising the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific and recreational values, followed by the Sasthamkotta lake in Kollam. The lake was then estimated to be having an area of 61.4 square kilometres which has shrunk to 34 square kilometres over a decade due to encroachment and waste disposal.
