Oussudu Lake

• 04 Jun 2019

Vulnerability assessment study conducted in Oussudu lake, Puducherry had shown concern over rising plastic pollution in water bodies.

The report had highlighted that the canals have become dumping grounds for used plastic bags, thermocols, cups, plates, pipes and bottles.

Threats from Plastic Pollution

• The dumping of plastic items had interrupted free flow of monsoon run-off.
• Around two-thirds of all forms of plastic getting accumulated, degrades slowly and leaches into the land and water.
• Plastic causes serious environmental pollution, affecting the basic life support systems such as soil, water and air.
• Plastic pollution also results in health ailments such as eye irritation, vision failure, difficulty in breathing, liver dysfunction and cancer,

Recommendations

• Prior to Plastic Ban, it is necessary to adopt daily usage of alternative packing items.
• Encourage people to identify and manufacture alternative packing items.
  
  • Hoteliers should be encouraged to shift to banana leaf, teak leaf, vanathula leaf and mantharai leaf for serving and packing food.
• Skill development in producing alternate packing materials should be encouraged.
• Enforcement of rules and regulations for the production and use of plastic

About Oussudu Lake

• The Ousteri Lake also referred to as Oussudu Lake is a man-made lake situated about 10 km from Puducherry.
• It is recognized as one of the important wetlands of Asia by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
• The structure of the lake is complex consisting of water, wetland and mudflats.
• Lake acts as the single largest catchment of fresh water in Puducherry.
• The vegetation of the lake (ranges from small herbs to trees) supports migratory avifauna as well as native birds during summer and winter.

Conservation Efforts

• Under the government's renovation plan the region near the lake will be make litter free so that it becomes favourable of the migratory birds.
• The lake region will be declared as no horn and plastic free zone.