Kerala is planning to draw up a master plan for protection of Sasthamcotta lake, the biggest fresh water lake in the south Indian state.
A review committee meeting was held in this regard at the district collectorate here on Saturday. Members of civic bodies, environment experts and researchers participated in the meeting.
The draft plan for conservation would be prepared by the Kozhikode-based Centre for Water Resource and Management in collaboration with various departments, District Panchayat
President K Somaprasad said.
A re-survey of the fresh-water lake is planned, which is expected to be a great help to find out the encroachments in the region. Stern action would be taken up to evict all illegal encroachments in the lake land, he said.
As excessive sand mining has become a menace not only to the existence of lake but also to the entire eco-system of the region, measures would be taken to check this as well, District Collector's office here said.
Planting of saplings across the banks of the lake and a survey of houses there were also under plans, they added.
A rich water body which has been enlisted as a 'Ramsar Site', Sasthamcotta lake plays a crucial role in the ecosystem of the region.