City of

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

Quilon Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

is known as ''Prince of Arabian Sea'', situated on the banks of

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

and

Ashtamudi Lake Ashtamudi Lake (''Ashtamudi Kayal''), in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala, is the most visited backwater and lake in the state. It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and a large palm-shaped (also described as octopus-shaped) ...

. A major portion of

Kollam Municipal Corporation Kollam Municipal Corporation (KMC) is an ISO 9001:2015 certified civic body that governs the city of Kollam in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the fourth-largest city corporation by population in the state, and the fifth-largest by area. Con ...

area is occupied by

. It is the most visited backwater and lake of Kerala, with a unique wetland ecosystem, a palm-shaped (also called octopus-shaped) large water body, next only to the

Vembanad Vembanad is the longest lake in India, as well as the largest lake in the state of Kerala. The lake has an area of 230 square kilometers and a maximum length of 96.5 km. Spanning several districts in the state of Kerala, it is known as Ve ...

estuary ecosystem of the state. ''Ashtamudi'' means 'eight coned'(''Ashta'' = 'eight'; ''mudi'' = 'coned') in the local language of

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

. This name is indicative of the lake's

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

: a lake with multiple branches. The lake is also called the gateway to the backwaters of Kerala. This lake is extremely famous for House Boat and Backwater Resorts. Back water Retreat Ashtamudi Ashtamudi Lake UninhabitedIslandinMunroe

All the Islands in

are situated in

. There are so many Islands in

Munroe Island Munroe Island (Malayalam : മണ്‍റോത്തുരുത്ത്) or Mundrothuruthu is an inland island group located at the confluence of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada River, in Kollam district, Kerala, South India. It is a ...

and

Chavara Thekkumbhagom Chavara Thekkumbhagom or ''Chavara South'' is a village in Kollam district in the Indian state of Kerala. Notable people * V.Sambasivan - a performer of the art Kadhaprasangam. written by himself and Othello by Shakespeare. See also * Koll ...

are the most important among these islands. Islands are the eye-catching factors as well as the beauty of Lake Ashtamudi. Most of these islands are potential tourism spots in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

. Even

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

also planning to develop one of the islands in

, Pallanthurthi, for a tourism project. There are big as well as small islands which are inhabited and uninhabited by human beings. The important islands in

are:

* Pallanthurthi * St. Sebastian Island * San Thome Island (Thomasthuruth) * Vincent Island * Our Lady of Fatima Island (Fatimathuruth) * Pezhumthuruth *

Kakkathuruth Kakkathuruth is a tiny island located at the Alappuzha district in the Indian state of Kerala surrounded by the Vembanatu Lake. Known as the ''Island of crows'', the National Geographic described the sunset seen from Kakkathuruthu as the bes ...

* Pattamthuruth * Paliyanthuruthu (''Palliyamthuruthu'') * Neettum thuruth * Puthenthuruth * Poothuruth * Pannaykkathuruth * Veluthuruth * Neeleswaram thuruth * Cheekenthuruth * Kerolithuruth * Kanakkanthurth * Pushpamangalamthuruth * Josephthuruth

Impact of Coastal Regulation Zone(CRZ) act

Being one of the coastal cities in India, the Coastal Regulation Zone Act(CRZ) has relevance in the development of Kollam city and nearby islands. As per the third report submitted by the Coastal district committees (CDC), constituted by the government following the directive of the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

, Kollam topped the list with 4,868 violations whereas the total violations identified are 26,259 in the state. In February 2020, 184 islands in Kollam have been brought under the CRZ regime. New construction in these islands would be permitted within areas between High Tide Line (HTL) and 50 meters towards the landward side.

References

{{coord missing, Kerala Geography of Kollam Tourist attractions in Kollam