North of Sundapalayam Road that leads to Poosaripalayam and then Veerakeralam is the Krishnampathy tank, identified easily by water hyacinth that covers around 80% of the waterspread area.
The 125-acre tank is part of the River Noyyal system. It gets water from the River through the Chithirai Chavadi channel and catchments in Marudhamalai foothills through the Karupparayan Kovil drain.
Unlike a few other tanks in the River Noyyal system, the Krishnampathy tank gets water during the South West Monsoon season as well as the North East Monsoon season, says K. Mylswami, a water conservation expert.
And, it has water almost round-the-year because of the sewage flow through the drain from Veerakeralam, Seeranaickenpalayam and other areas to its north and west.
This sewage flow has aided the growth of water hyacinth and other weeds that have covered almost 80% of the 80-odd acre that is free of encroachment, says M. Balamurugan, president, Coimbatore Vatta Meenavar Kooturavu Sangam (a fishermen cooperative association).
The impact of the spread of the water weeds is that the fishermen are unable to fish. “We are unable to take out coracle or spread the net to fish,” Mr. Balamurugan says and adds that this has impacted the lives of around 60 fishermen families who are dependent on the tank for their livelihood.
They want the Corporation to clean the tank at the earliest because it is around the onset of South West Monsoon that they drop hatchlings into the tank and harvest three or four months later.
If the Corporation does not clean the tank in the next few days, their livelihood is in peril because the hatchlings will not survive.
“The water hyacinth does not aid the growth of fish, which die before they reach the harvest stage.”
Mr. Balamurugan adds: and, the Corporation should remove the weeds at the earliest because the breeze that precedes the Monsoon is spreading it far and wide.
The fishermen also want the Corporation to check the inflow of sewage into the tank because that is what helps the hyacinth grow. The Corporation that has taken up lake development under the Smart Cities Mission should come up with a solution to stop the tank’s pollution.
Coimbatore Corporation officials could not be reached for their comments.
