The Kolleru Lake, Nallamalla forests and Rishi Valley
Kolleru Lake
In Andhra Pradesh, we have Asia’s largest fresh water lake called Kolleru.
Lake Kolleru lies in the low-lying areas between river Godavari in the east and river Krishna on the west. It is spread over parts of the two districts of Krishna and west Godavari. As per the Ramsar international convention, Lake Kolleru has to be preserved as a wetland.
Till very recently, the situation in Kolleru had turned bad. The lake was degraded totally due to the actions and activities of some people. There was blocking of drains by the sand dunes from the soil eroded in the catchments area of the lake due destruction of the tree cover in the upstream of the lake wastewater from agriculture, factories and residential areas had been polluting the lake through fifteen main drains. Thousands of acres o lake land was illegally taken over for fisheries and agriculture. During the rains, these lands got submerged causing heavy losses.
Along the road between Eluru and Kaikaluru, huge dredging was undertaken to make way for fish farms. The builders of these farms had formed a lobby and extended their property by occupying thousands of acres of the lake area. As a result, many trees and parts of the lake stand totally destroyed. Though small fishermen had a permission to form fish farming cooperatives, it was the bigger fishermen who held the sway. They totally destroyed the lake by occupying its land. Under the excuse of building boundaries around farms, they built fish farms and changed the entire region, completely. But now following an order of the Supreme Court, the lake land is reclaimed and the lake saved, though after a lot of damage.
Our very survival depends on natural resources. This is reflected in the traditions in our country developed around protecting animals, trees and other such life forms. For years we have followed customs and traditions that worked to conserve them.
Tribal people, and to a lesser extent villagers, continue to adhere to such traditions though most people in urban areas, now seem to have moved far away from them. Today, as far as urbanites are concerned, such traditions do not exist.
Similarly, the big companies proclaim about the need to preserve natural resources but they are the first to exploit them. That is why in urban areas, air, water and land are grossly polluted. There are big piles of wastes everywhere. The piles continue to increase in size in the absence of recycling or reuse.
So, who do you think is working for environment> and who is working against it?
Compassion should be our byword while dealing with other living beings on this planet. Diminishing non-renewable resources should open our eyes to their careful use. We must aim at sustainable development so that no further damage is done to our environment.
Broadly speaking, Andhra Pradesh has a tradition of preserving the environment is it the Eastern Ghats, the rivers or the village lakes.
The Nallamalla forests, the Rishi valley, the Konda palli Rocks and the Koringa sanctuary, all have witnessed the tradition of preservation in Andhra Pradesh.
Those temples were built atop hills at Tirumala, Mangalagiri, Yadagiri gutta, Srisailam, Keesaragutta and Simhachalam is proof of our concern to protect these hills.
For many centuries now, local people preserved the banyan tree, Thimmamma Marrimanu’’ at Anathapur’s Gutti and the `Pillalamarri’ banyan tree in Mahabubnagar.
The great Indian Bustard. Black buck, Ongole Bull and Blue jay still survive due to the traditions of the farmers and villagers of the area where these are found. People here have all along been aware of the important role animals and birds play in their lives.
A variety of beliefs and superstitions protect and preserve the animals. The taboo on kilning cats and lizards protects them while at the same time reducing the numbers of pets like rats and insects. Monkeys are revered as belonging to the family of God hanuman. Preserving the fish in the Aruku Mathsyagundam Lake is again out tradition.
The production of oilseeds, cereals and millets like Bajra and Ragi, are all a part of our tradition.
In Srikalahsthi, the religious belief that surrounds the spider, the snake and the elephant has protected the insect and the animals. The spider and the snake help us by eating up insects and pets, while the elephant does so by eating up wild varieties of grass. There are similar popular stories around tortoises, honeybees, crocodiles and parakeets.
Some animals are believed to be the vehicles of Gods: the peacock of Subramanian swami, the bull of Siva, the tiger of Durga, the eagle of Vishnu and the mouse of Ganesh. These beliefs help protect these animals.
Our tradition reverses trees as well. The basil plant is nurtured in every house, the Neem and tamarind trees are planted in the backyard and the Peepal along the lake. The Neem and Peepal trees together are worshipped in our temples. We also grow flowering plants. The rose bay (anandivardhanmu), hibiscus [mandara] and others are popular. These attract the honeybees and bees bumble that help pollinate the fruit yielding trees.
Kolleru Lake
In Andhra Pradesh, we have Asia’s largest fresh water lake called Kolleru.
Lake Kolleru lies in the low-lying areas between river Godavari in the east and river Krishna on the west. It is spread over parts of the two districts of Krishna and west Godavari. As per the Ramsar international convention, Lake Kolleru has to be preserved as a wetland.
Till very recently, the situation in Kolleru had turned bad. The lake was degraded totally due to the actions and activities of some people. There was blocking of drains by the sand dunes from the soil eroded in the catchments area of the lake due destruction of the tree cover in the upstream of the lake wastewater from agriculture, factories and residential areas had been polluting the lake through fifteen main drains. Thousands of acres o lake land was illegally taken over for fisheries and agriculture. During the rains, these lands got submerged causing heavy losses.
Along the road between Eluru and Kaikaluru, huge dredging was undertaken to make way for fish farms. The builders of these farms had formed a lobby and extended their property by occupying thousands of acres of the lake area. As a result, many trees and parts of the lake stand totally destroyed. Though small fishermen had a permission to form fish farming cooperatives, it was the bigger fishermen who held the sway. They totally destroyed the lake by occupying its land. Under the excuse of building boundaries around farms, they built fish farms and changed the entire region, completely. But now following an order of the Supreme Court, the lake land is reclaimed and the lake saved, though after a lot of damage.
