UPSC Articles
Vembanad Lake: Kerala
Part of: GS Prelims and GS –I – Geography
In News: Kerala houseboats in Vembanad Lake are about to begin soon amid a robust vaccination drive.
- This is the largest lake in Kerala and the longest Lake in India.
- Source of the rivers: Meenachil, Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala
- Vallam Kali (i.e Nehru Trophy Boat Race) is a Snake Boat Race held every year in the month of August in Vembanad Lake.
- In 2002, lake was included in the list of Ramsar Convention.
- It is the second-largest Ramsar site in India after the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
- The Vembanad wetland is also identified under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.
- The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is located on the east coast of the lake.
- In 2019, Willingdon Island, a seaport located in the city of Kochi, was carved out of Vembanad Lake.
- One of the most outstanding features of this lake is the 1252 m long saltwater barrier, Thanneermukkom, which was built to stop saltwater intrusion into Kuttanad.
