Kodaikanal lake, one of the prime tourist attractions in the hill station, is set for a revamp with the municipality conducting a survey around it. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced a fund of ₹100 crore under Rule 110 at the State Assembly, following which works in the initial stages have been started.
Sources in the municipality that maintains the lake say the road around the lake will be upgraded with new paver blocks to avoid flooding during rains. The government has planned to install high quality lamps around the waterbody and the lake front will be developed into a well-lit and aesthetic tourist spot. The road around the lake may also be closed for vehicular traffic and battery-operated cars will be taking tourists to the boat jetty.
Though, the elaborate plans sound promising to give a facelift to the central attraction of Kodaikanal, environmentalists feel otherwise. They say more than enhancing the outward beauty of the place, it is important to clean up and reduce pollution in the lake. They complain of years of utter neglect and disregard for the poor quality of water.
“Water weeds, algae, hyacinth and hydrilla have proliferated along the edges of the lake. These are indicators that the water is polluted. The municipality should stop flow of sewage and kitchen waste from the surrounding houses and hotels into the lake. There are phosphorous and heavy metal contents in the water,” says Veerabadhran of Eco-Friendly Environment Conservation Trust-Kodai.
The man-made lake, spread over 60 acres with a circumference of 4.5 km, was developed in 1863 by the then Madurai Collector, and environmentalists say there were about 150 inlets to the lake. “The inlets were all closed during the tiling work undertaken on the road, because of which flood water enters the 1,000-odd shops around the lake during rains,” Mr. Veerabadhran says.
“As per the 1993 Master Plan, there were 15 silt drops to filter silt from the water entering the lake. The silt drops unfortunately became garbage dumps due to lack of maintenance and were subsequently closed,” he adds.
There were also eight micro watersheds carrying rainwater from various places to the lake. But only three remain today, while the others are encroached upon, say residents. While Gymkhana, Bombay Shola and La Saleth watersheds are functional, Bryant Park watershed has been encroached upon. The water from the lake further flows downstream to meet irrigation and drinking water needs of over 20 villages and finally drains into Palar dam near Palani.
Members of Palani Hills Conservation Council, which work closely with the municipality in waste disposal, say the hill town needs a proper solid waste management plan. “Without having a concrete action plan for waste management and a policy decision to curb pollution in the lake, there is no point in developing just its look. The municipality should rather use the funds for proper dredging and blocking sewage pipelines from discharging their contents into the lake and ensure that no occupants, including residents and hotels within 200 feet of the lake, are allowed to dump waste in it. There is also plastic waste that goes in,” they say.
