Artificial islands to breathe in the beauty of Vembanad

Alappuzha: The Thanneermukkom bund area will soon have a pair of artificial islands that offer delightful view of the backwaters to the visitors. As the third stage of the bund gets completed, the Water Transport Department, which is modernizing the bund, aims to set up the islands.

There will be four 80-meter long arms stretching from the bund into the Vembanad waters, with ample space for amenities like vehicle parking, refreshment rooms, sight seeing spots, and play area, to woo tourists. These islands were originally proposed in the plan document of the Thanneermukkom bund, work on which started in 1968. Traffic has been allowed on the bund by linking these islands and making a causeway.

Work on the islands will begin as soon as work on the regulator-cum-bridge in the middle of the bund is completed. The causeway linking the islands will be demolished to let water out from the backwaters. Facilities will readied in four 30-meter wide islands for parking of vehicles and for seating of visitors. Once the islands are completed, they will be handed over to the Tourism Department.

Shutters are being fixed on the regulator in the middle. Vehicles will be allowed through the new regulator by May first week, with that, traffic through the sand causeway will be stopped.

With the completion of the third stage, the bund causeway will have a length of 1,402 meter.

The bund segment from Thanneermukkom side was completed in 1968 and the one from Vechoor was finished in 1974, which made Thanneermukkom Bund one of the world's biggest regulator-cum-bridge. There are 31 shutters on both sides. The third stage will also have an equal number of shutters.

The Rs 185-crore work was carried out as part of the Kuttanad package.