Appraisal of Thanneermukkom bund as a coastal reservoir in Kuttanad, Kerala

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of Thanneermukkom bund with its implications on water security in the region as a freshwater reservoir in the southwest coast of India. The bund was constructed in 1974 to convert southern part of brackish Vembanad Lake into a freshwater reservoir to augment agricultural activities. This paper reviews past studies on the bund and highlights the fact that it is a coastal reservoir though the term coastal reservoir became popular only in the last two decades. The bund divides the Vembanad Lake into a freshwater lake in the south and brackish water lake fed by the ocean in the north. This paper reviews the issues and challenges related to the inefficient operation of the bund and presents possible solutions. The paper proposes to restore this unique coastal reservoir to ensure freshwater supply for drinking and irrigation in the low lands of Kuttanad.