Even as the Coimbatore Corporation has come all guns blazing to rejuvenate wetlands and commercialize them by opening water sports facilities and children’s park, the idea has not gone down well with environmentalists as they claim that plans like these would only worsen the forest ecosystem.

In the budget report released by the Corporation, Mayor P. Rajkumar announced certain schemes exclusively for the “rejuvenation of wetlands,” including the construction of cycle path, water sports, children’s park, compound wall, and galleries along the wetlands.

While around Rs.75 lakh was allotted for the construction of cycle pathway along the bunds of Valankulam tank, Rs.300 lakhs was set aside for the cleaning up of the tank, removal of water hyacinth, construction of a compound wall, galleries, parks, and planting of trees in and around the tank.

The corporation had also allotted Rs.100 lakhs for setting up of water sports (boating) in the Singanallur wetland.

But, the environmentalists are not amused. They have termed such activities as “mere attempts to commercialize the tanks in the name of rejuvenation.”

M. Yoganathan, conservationist and bus conductor, better known as the Tree Man, said that the announcement had wounded the sentiments of the environmentalists as the civic body, after clearing some of the encroachments alongside the Valankulam tank, had created a plan to encroach the lake by itself.

“We were happy when the individual encroachments were cleared. But these plans indicate that the government itself is trying to encroach the wetland,” he said.

He further added that the same thing happened to Ukkadam Big tank as the reeds, which are on the bunds, were destroyed in the name of rejuvenation.

“These reeds help the roosting of small birds and if roads are laid, the reeds will be destroyed, which will affect the balance in the ecosystem of the lake. Also, the size of the tank will be further reduced, which is a major loss for the creatures that depend on the lake,” he added.

K. Mohan Raj, a Coimbatore based conservationist, said that these projects are unnecessary for the lakes.

“The immediate necessity is the setting up of water recycling units near all the lakes so that the water in the tank is clean,” he told the Covai Post.

Claiming that watersports were not popular and had failed before, Mohan Raj also added that the corporation is yet to clear the encroachments near the lakes. “They had only cleared individual houses but have failed to remove the big buildings,” he pointed out.