Eco-warriors set to restore Guntur lake in Tiruchi

Inauguration of Tiruchi's Gundur Periyakulam project to revive 350-acre water body into biodiversity enclave, replenish groundwater. NGO Mega Foundations to execute clean-up, create 20 islands, increase depth to 3ft. ₹40 lakh spent on walking trails, 80 native trees. Post-restoration care to local panchayat, student volunteers welcome.

A project to revive Gundur Periyakulam, considered to be among the biggest lakes in Tiruchi, was inaugurated on Friday in a bid to convert the 350-acre water body into a flourishing biodiversity enclave, and replenishing the region’s groundwater table.

The initiative was launched by School Education Minister  Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in the presence of District Collector M. Pradeep Kumar and Thanjavur-based water conservationist Nimal Raghavan, whose NGO Mega Foundations will be executing the clean-up operation.

“Gundur Periyakulam is Mega Foundations’ 177th project . Though the actual extent of the lake is approximately 500 acres, we will be desilting 350 acres that is currently full of vegetation. We plan to create 20 islands within the cleared stretch, which will help to revive the natural ecosystem,” Mr. Raghavan told The Hindu.

The project is expected to be completed with the help of five excavators over two months, with the objective of replenishing up to 600 crore litres of water in the lake, besides other groundwater tables in the vicinity.

“Due to its shallowness, the lake fills up quickly during rains, but also dries up completely during the summer months. To prevent this, we will be first increasing the depth of the lake bed to three feet,” said Mr. Raghavan.

The programme would entail an expenditure of about ₹40 lakh and includes creation of walking trails and planting of at least 80 varieties of native trees. The banks of the lake will be strengthened with the excavated mud and planted with vetiver grass and palm trees.

“Since Gundur Periyakulam is near the airport and quite accessible from the highway, this could be good spot for nature tourism and birdwatching. We are counting on student volunteers from schools and colleges to join us in the project. We’d like to finish before the onset of monsoons, so the desilting and civic works will be done over night and day shifts,” said the activist.