Mookaneri Lake

Mookaneri Lake
Kannankurichi Lake
Mookaneri Lake with the Shevaroy Hills in the background
Location of the lake within Tamil Nadu
Location of the lake within Tamil Nadu
Mookaneri Lake
Location of the lake within Tamil Nadu
Location of the lake within Tamil Nadu
Mookaneri Lake
Location of the lake within Tamil Nadu
Location of the lake within Tamil Nadu
Mookaneri Lake
LocationKannankurichi, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates11°41′11″N 78°10′45″E / 11.68639°N 78.17917°E / 11.68639; 78.17917
TypeLake
Basin countriesIndia
Surface area23.5 ha (58 acres)[1]
Islands47[2]
SettlementsSalem

Mookaneri Lake, also called Kannankurichi Lake, is a lake in Kannankurichi, in the Salem Taluk of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, that covers an area of 23.5 hectares (58 acres).[3] It is located to the south of the Shevaroy Hills and is a major body of water in Salem. The lake is fed by rainfall, including the hills surrounding Yercaud, which flow into the lake via the Puthu Yeri and Kothukaran Odai streams.[4][5]

There are 47 man-made islands in the lake. Each island was created by excavating and piling lakebed clay about 10 feet high, and covers an area of a few thousand square feet.[1] Initially, millet was planted on the islands to arrest erosion and help build a soil layer before saplings of neem, banyan, jambul, peepal, and vetiver trees could be planted.[6] The lake islands were populated by nearly 12,000 trees as of 2013.[7]

Islands of Mookaneri Lake
  1. ^ a b Ananth, M.K (1 September 2013). "Pathways to man-made islands in Mookaneri Lake demolished". The Hindu. Salem. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  2. ^ Muthahar Saqaf, Syed (3 November 2017). "A wedding on an island with a message". The Hindu. Salem: The Hindu. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  3. ^ "Mookaneri Lake bund found 'encroached upon'". The Hindu. Salem: The Hindu. 30 December 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  4. ^ "Mookaneri Lake filling up". The Hindu. Salem: The Hindu. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Mookaneri Looks Like Ocean". Dinakaran. Salem: Dinakaran. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  6. ^ "TN couple to get married on an island". Salem: The News Minute. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  7. ^ Pankaja, Srinivasan (15 June 2013). "A lake comes to life". The Hindu. Salem: The Hindu. Retrieved 2 February 2018.