Punnamada Lake, Kottayam
attraction
About Punnamada Lake
Vembanad (Vembanad Kayal or Vembanad Kol) is the longest lake in India,and the largest lake in the state of Kerala[Mangrove with area 2114 sq. Km is the second largest Ramasar site in India only after Sunderbans in West Bengal] Spanning several districts in the state of Kerala, it is known as Vembanadu Lake in Alappuzha, Punnamada Lake in Kuttanad and Kochi Lake in Kochi. Several groups of small islands including Vypin, Mulavukad, Vallarpadam, Willingdon Island are located in the Kochi Lake portion. Kochi Port is built around the Willingdon Island and the Vallarpadam island.
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is conducted in a portion of the lake. High levels of pollution have been noticed at certain hotspots of the Vembanad backwaters. The government of India has identified the Vembanad wetland under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.