Akkulam Lake is situated in the Trivandrum of Kerala and is an extension of the Veli Lake. It merges with the sea in the end and makes for a popular picnic spot for the city folks. The lake is also rich in biodiversity with plenty of native fish varieties such as pearl spot and tilapia and migratory birds flocking seasonally. “The water quality was much better earlier through the natural cleansing of high tide which gushes sea water by breaking the sandbar at Veli. But, those who are new to the city have only seen it as a water body infested with hyacinth.
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| Akkulam Lake |
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| Akkulam Lake |
Located on the banks of the Akkulam Lake, Akkulam Tourist Village boasts
some of the most picturesque picnic spots in Southern Kerala. It is a lovely
backwater destination with a calm and serene atmosphere. It is located 10 km
from Thiruvananthapuram city and possesses numerous boating options. It has a
well-equipped children’s park, a paddle pool and a swimming pool for adults
The backwater of Akkulam, adjoining the Arabian Sea in the south-west part
of Indian Peninsula, is a coastal wetland system and forms an integral part of
the local ecosystem. In addition to the usual marine interactions, this water
body is subjected to anthropogenic interference due to their proximity to the
Thiruvananthapuram City urban agglomeration. This paper showcases how an urban
agglomeration alters wetland system located within a tropical monsoonal
environment. Water samples from this lake together with different feeder
streams reveal that the lake is under the threat to eutrophication. A
spatio-temporal analysis has shown that the lake and adjacent wetlands are
shrinking in a fast pace. Over a period of about seven decades, the lake has
shrunk by 28.05 % and the wetlands by 37.81 %. And hence, there is a pressing
requirement of eco-management practices to be adopted to protect this lake.
