Fire near Akkulam Lake draws suspicion

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM :  The fire incident near Akkulam Lake which destroyed 10 acres of land is drawing suspicion as environmental activists allege foul play. On Tuesday, the fire occurred around noon and as many as six fire tenders from Chackai and Thiruvananthapuram divisions were called in to douse the fire which turned acres of biodiversity-rich land falling under CRZ into ashes. However, the fire department disputed the allegations.

Akkulam ward councillor V R Sini alleged that the fire occurred because of the unscientific burning of waste. She said that ever since the launch of the community kitchens, the entire government machinery is being deployed for running them. 

“This is adversely affecting our daily operations. It is summertime and piles of garbage are being burned in the surrounding areas of Akkulam. Action must be taken. This is the time to carry out pre-monsoon sanitation drives,” said Sini. Sanjeev S J of Environment Protection and Research Council (EPRC) said that the authorities are turning a blind eye towards such violations happening in the CRZ areas on Akkulam Lake.

“It took several hours for the firefighters to bring the fire under control. Garbage burning is the main issue. The Revenue Department and the district administration are turning a blind eye towards the violation. Encroachments are rampant and private parties are landfilling the lake and carrying out sand mining. Now because of the virus threat, officials are busy with related work and private parties are using this situation as a cover to carry out illegal activities,” said Sanjeev.  He said that a complaint would be filed soon to bring the incident to the attention of authorities and prevent such incidents from happening further.