NAGERCOIL
Putheri, one of the major lakes in Kanniyakumari, is dying slowly. Encroachments, neglect, termination of agriculture in its command area in the wake of real estate development, release of untreated sewage and very recently filling of half the lake for laying a highway reduced the lake into a pale shadow of yesteryear.
“In its original capacity, it is capable of storing water in huge quantities. Water enters nearby residential areas because the lake is no longer in a position to hold water to its capacity,” said P. Kannan, the president of Putheri Panchayat.
The village, Putheri, takes its name from the lake and the huge ant-hill like structure (puttru), worshipped by the local people. The lake is also home to variety of birds and other aquatic species.
The problem started when the Southern Railway laid a new lane and constructed a bridge. “It failed to remove tonnes of soil dumped into the lake. I made a representation to Revenue Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, when he visited the district,” Mr. Kannan said.
Asked about real estate development on the paddy fields irrigated by the lake, Mr. Kannan said it started many years ago and had gone beyond control. To prevent the water from flowing into the housing plots, the real estate developers also damaged the sluices through which the water would flow into paddy fields. One could also see encroachments on the banks of the lake.
Filling of one part of the lake for laying a national highway choked it like never before. “Instead of constructing a bridge on pillars, the National Highway filled the lake to lay a road. My petition in the Madras High Court resulted in a direction to construct a bridge. But I do not know what happened after that,” said Lal Mohan, convener, Nagercoil Chapter of Indian National Trust for Culture and Heritage.