Akkulam lake rejuvenation project hits another roadblock

Water hyacinth infestation in the Akkulam lake in Thiruvananthapuram.
| Photo Credit: S.R. Praveen

A large greenish carpet of water hyacinth floats unobstructed over Akkulam Lake, so much so that a good part of the lake now looks like a meadow. Despite a plethora of projects over the years to revive it, Akkulam lake, one of the capital city’s major waterbodies continues to be taken over by water hyacinth. At its edges, the lake has been encroached upon in recent years, further reducing its capacity.

Now, a project to revive the lake, which was launched in 2022, has run into rough weather with the government mulling re-tendering after the project failed to take off within the stipulated time. Out of the two companies involved in the joint venture, one was tasked with improving the water quality and the other was supposed to take care of the infrastructure works.

However, with concerns being raised about the experience of the companies in handling such work as well as the nature of the joint venture, the Tourism department had considered re-tendering the project. Following this, the government sought legal opinion regarding the possibility of annulling the existing contract. According to sources, the company has now submitted a request to the government expressing its willingness to continue with the work after remitting a fine amount for the delays. The file regarding this is currently pending a decision with the district administration.

The original project was envisaged to rejuvenate the lake as well as the boat club attached to it to promote tourism. As part of the rejuvenation, the water hyacinth spread over the lake was to be removed, following which desilting was to be carried out. Along with this, a system for persistent cleaning up of the lake was also part of the plan. Under the infrastructure projects to promote tourism, a hangout plaza, open air theatre, open gym, toilet and parking facilities and water sports facilities were to be set up. As part of the first space of the project, an amount of ₹96 crore was allocated from the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).

Complete removal of water hyacinth is a challenge, as after previous attempts at cleaning the lake, the plants have come back to infest even more areas of the water body. The sewage from the city’s major canals, which flows into the lake, also continues to pollute it.