page_title: Ashtamudi Lake
section_title: Deterioration of the lake environment
hierarchical_section_title: Ashtamudi Lake / Deterioration of the lake environment
caption_attribution_description: English: Kollam is one among the 6 districts served by the inland navigation water transport facilities in the Indian state of Kerala. The main water transportation of Kollam city is through Lake Ashtamudi. It is the second largest lake in Kerala.
context_page_description: Ashtamudi Lake, in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala, is the most visited backwater and lake in the state. It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and a large palm-shaped water body, second only in size to the Vembanad estuary ecosystem of the state. Ashtamudi means 'eight braids' in the local Malayalam language. The name is indicative of the lake's topography with its multiple branches. The lake is also called the gateway to the backwaters of Kerala and is well known for its houseboat and backwater resorts.
  Ashtamudi Wetland was included in the list of wetlands of international importance, as defined by the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands.
  Along both banks of the lake and its backwater canals, coconut groves and palm trees interspersed with towns and villages are seen. Kollam, is an important historic port city located on the right bank of the lake. Boat cruises are operated by the Kollam Boat Club from Kollam to Alappuzha providing transport access to many other towns and villages along this route. Luxury houseboats also operate on the lake.
context_section_description: The following are reported to be the reasons for deterioration of the lake environment:
  Intense anthropogenic pressure.
  Oil spills from thousands of fishing boats and from industries in the surrounding area.
  Dwindling of the fragile lake zone due to conversion/destruction of natural habitats for development purposes (reported that the lake which had an area of 54 km² [21 mi²] according to old survey reports has shrunk to 34 km² [13 mi²] due to encroachments)
  Large quantities of untreated sewage, disposal of human excreta, and the pollution from paper mills, industries (aluminum, ceramics, seafood), as well as from coconut husk retting.
  Many fish species may have become extinct due to lack of spawning facilities on the banks of the lake due to canalization of the lake's banks by walls built of laterite and granite stones (these walls reportedly cover 80 per cent of the lake's banks)
caption: A moving ferry on Lake Ashtamudi at Kollam city
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