Mananchira

Mananchira
Location	Kozhikode, Kerala, India
Coordinates	11°15′15.9″N 75°46′47.9″E / 11.254417°N 75.779972°E / 11.254417; 75.779972Coordinates: 11°15′15.9″N 75°46′47.9″E / 11.254417°N 75.779972°E / 11.254417; 75.779972
Lake type	Man-made
Max. length	130 m
Max. width	109 m
Surface area	14,120 m2

Mananchira is a man-made freshwater lake situated in the centre of the city of Kozhikode (Calicut) in Kerala, southern India. The lake is 3.49 acres (14,120 m²) in area, is rectangular in shape and is fed by a natural spring.

Mananchira was built as a bathing pool by the Zamorin Mana Vikrama, the feudal ruler of Kozhikode in around the 14th century. The laterite obtained from excavating the tank was used to construct two palaces to the east and west.^[1]

In the late 19th century, Calicut's municipal council decreed that the lake was to be reserved exclusively for drinking purposes, and prohibited its use for bathing, washing and recreational activities—a ruling that has remained in place ever since.^[2] The lake is an important source of drinking water for Kozhikode, but is susceptible to pollution from municipal sewage, domestic waste, and pollutants from nearby textile factories. An analysis of the lake in 2000 by scientists from the Central Water Analysis Laboratory and Pondicherry Central University found that the lake was particularly bacteriologically contaminated during the monsoon season, and was highly alkaline afterwards.^[3]

Mananchira Square, a park complex surrounding the lake was opened in 1994.

References

1. ^ Ayyar, K.V. Krishna (1966). A short history of Kerala. Pai. 
2. ^ Nagarlok (Centre for Training and Research in Municipal Administration) 6. 1974. 
3. ^ "Water Quality Status on Mananchira Lake in Kozhikode, Kerala". Environmental crisis and security in the new millennium. Delhi: Anmol Publications. 2000. ISBN 8126121785.