Coimbatore: Ukkadam Periyakulam, sprawls across an area of 327 acres and stretches for about 5.2 km. It is one of the water bodies where the river water from Noyyal is stored. What was once very useful for agriculture was depleted by insufficient rainfall. As the city went through social and industrial growth, the lake started deteriorating. The Periyakulam began to be polluted by the waste emitted by the buildings and industrial establishments in the vicinity.
Coimbatore: Ukkadam Periyakulam, sprawls across an area of 327 acres and stretches for about 5.2 km. It is one of the water bodies where the river water from Noyyal is stored. What was once very useful for agriculture was depleted by insufficient rainfall. As the city went through social and industrial growth, the lake started deteriorating. The Periyakulam began to be polluted by the waste emitted by the buildings and industrial establishments in the vicinity.
The balance of nature was restored after drastic measures by the corporation, but it was also reported that the lake would be restructured through the Smart City project that followed. This caused great frustration among ecological activists who hoped the lake would be replenished. They say the Smart City project is completely against nature. The shores of the lake have been filled with concrete. The presence of exotic trees instead of indigenous species is very shocking to the bird habitat. Migratory birds choose a safe place and a less populated place, but this project is only for the entertainment of the general public.
It is said that the water will be polluted if the bird droppings fall into the pond, but that is not true. The droppings become food and fertilizer for aquatic microorganisms. The country fish that eat them gain nutrition. Many exotic birds travel and reach this place for this food and the lush green space.
Birds such as pelicans, spot billed pelicans, darters, and eurasian coots, among others, cross many miles in search of habitat. What they need is a natural environment, not an artificial selfie corner, sidewalk or exotic tree. The government aims to connect all the water bodies for public use through the Smart City project, but the ones who would benefit are the rich, not the poor and the middle class.
People who fight for food everyday are not going to cycle or walk around the smart lakes or eat the fast food sold there. In Periyakulam and Valankulam areas, they have set up Rs 39 crore's worth of 'I Love Kovai' selfie corners and water ATM's. It was declared opened by the Chief Minister for public use even as the COVID-19 pandemic is ragin.
We talked to a bird enthusiast about this who said, "Located in the middle of the city, the lake is polluted a lot. It’s okay if a project is carried out without disturbing nature. We have recorded all the exotic birds and local birds in this pond. What we need is a biodiverse water body like Singanallur and Vellalore, not a smart lake. Instead, they are building something by disturbing the order of nature and its balance."