SLOW DEATH AWAITS SASTHAMCOTTA LAKE

   Sasthamcotta lake is one of the 25 Ramsar cites of international significance in the country. The sigatories of the Ramsar convention, including India expected to maintain the ecological character of their wet lands of international importance and plan its sustainable use. Kol and Vembanad are the other Ramsar sites in Kerala

    the over exploited Sasthamcotta lake is heading for a major crisis with a new drinking water scheme to be launched from it shortly. The Chavara-Panmana water supply scheme from the lake will be commissioned on January 12,2011, ignoring the warnings of an expert committee which looked in to its partial drying up during the last summer..

    A recent hydrological study carried out by the centre for water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) Kozhikode, had cautioned against any additional exploitation of water from the lake.It had also recommended detailed studies before burdening it any further. The center had carried out   the study and updated the management plan of the lake on behalf of the state government following the partial parching in may last. That time, the water level had receded alarmingly exposing 24 hectare of the total 373 hectare area of the lake

   It is estimated 37.5 MLD water is drawn from the lake for meeting the drinking water needs of over seven lakh people of  kollam district and adjoining areas. The new project(Chavara- Panmana) will draw an additional 12 Million Liters per Day (MLD) from it.

     During the last monsoon there was a shortage of 13 percent rain and the water exploitation  from this rain-fed lake was not regulated in tune with the availability of water. The out flow from a water body should be limited  to 60 percent of its inflow. In this case, it had crossed 70 percent and any added pressure would eventually kill the lake.

Prof.John Kurakar