Thanneermukkom Bund, Alappuzha

Image Credits : Ezhuttukari, Creative Commons Attribution Licence

Thanneermukkom is a village in Alappuzha District of Kerala, India.

Thanneermukkom is on the banks of Lake Vembanad. There is a salt water barrier at Thanneermukkom, built across the lake, which connects it to Vechoor in Kottayam district. This barrier essentially divides the lake into two parts – one with brackish water perennially and the other half with fresh water fed by the rivers draining into the lake.

Bus services connect Thanneermukkom to Kottayam town, Alappuzha town and Cherthala. There are a few bus services to Ernakulam also.

Thanneermukkom Bund

The Thanneermukkom Bund, considered the largest mud regulator in the country, was built as part of the Kuttanad Development Scheme. The huge construction is built across Lake Vembanad, the largest lake of the State, and divides the lake into two parts. It also connects the two districts of Kottayam and Alappuzha through the Thanneermukkam and Vechoor villages on either side of the bund.

The bund, which has a length of 1400 meters, is situated between 76° 23′ and 76° 25′E and 9° 40′B latitude. This includes a 470m-long reclaimed portion in the middle. The construction began in 1958 but completion of the project took many years. The western and eastern portions of the bund, with a length of 470 metres each, has 31 shutters on each side. The construction of these parts was completed in 1967. In 1977, the government started building the middle part. Land had to be reclaimed from the backwaters to complete the construction. The shutters were connected on either side to control the entry of salt water.

This barrier has helped the farmers in Kuttanad – where farming is done below sea level. It has however also created ecological problems, primarily, the rampant propagation of the Water Hyacinth in fresh water. The backwaters which were abundant with fish and part of the staple food of the people of the region require a small amount of salt water for their breeding. The salt water barrier has caused deterioration of the catch of fish in the region and the fishermen are opposed to the bund as of 2005. The salt water barrier has also disrupted the harmony of the sea with the backwaters and has caused problems not foreseen before the salt water barrier like the omniprescence of the water weeds. Earlier the salt water tends to cleanse the backwaters but this does not happen any more leading to the pollution of the backwaters and the entire land nearby.

Thanneermukkom is an important destination in the backwater tourism map. A number of resorts dot the area.

Town:: Thanneermukkom bund can be reached by road. Bus services are available from Kottayam, Alappuzha and Cherthala.
Airport:: The Cochin International Airport, located at a distance of 75 kiolmetres is the nearest airport to Allepey.
Railway Station:: The Alleppey Railway Station lies within the city limits and is well connected by rail to Cochin and Trivandrum.
District:: Alappuzha
Longitude:: 9.663875
Latitude:: 76.381987