Anaikuttam is a small village located to the north of Sivakasi city, in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district – a region widely known for its fireworks industry. Beyond its industrial fame, this land is also home to the Arjuna River, the Anaikuttam Dam, and several waterbodies, along with vast stretches of farmland that once played a vital role in sustaining agriculture, supporting local livelihoods, and nurturing diverse wildlife in the region.

Over the years, however, this once-prosperous landscape has faced a steady decline. Vast stretches of farmland have been taken over by invasive Prosopis juliflora, while the waterbodies that once stored rainwater have grown shallow with layers of silt. As these tanks dried up and lost their capacity to hold water, the very source of irrigation disappeared. Without reliable water to cultivate their fields, farming became unsustainable, forcing villagers to abandon agriculture and turn to alternative livelihoods.

Kudumban Kulam, located in Anaikuttam village, is a 73-acre waterbody that plays a crucial role in supporting hundreds of acres of farmland in the region. Over the years, however, it has faced multiple challenges – including excess silt that has reduced its water-holding capacity, weak and improper bunds that threaten its structural integrity, and an excessive spread of prosopis juliflora that significantly reducing the local ground water spread.

E.F.I in collaboration with the Virudhunagar District Administration
and Kotak Mahindra Bank took on the restoration of the Kudumban Kulam

Project: Kudumban Kulam
Donor: Kotak Mahindra Bank
Administrative partner: Virudhunagar District Administration
Execution: Environmentalist Foundation of India – E.F.I

The Restoration – Kudumban Kulam, Anaikuttam, Sivakasi.

De-weeding: The entire lake surface was cleared of Prosopis juliflora, an invasive species that choked native vegetation and disrupted the ecosystem.

Desilting & Creating Recharge Boxes: Deep silt layers that had settled over years were removed. In parallel, five large recharge boxes with the depth of 3-4 ft were created to increase both storage capacity and subsurface percolation of water.

Strengthening Embankments: The removed silt was repurposed to strengthened narrow or weak offshore embankments. New foreshore embankments are being constructed to protect the lake from erosion and maintain its structural integrity.

Nesting islands, Inlet regulation, trench system are all in progress to create micro-ecosystems
within the waterbody and to evenly distribute inflowing water and improve circulation.

Watch this space for more updates! #WhateverToWaterForever


Volunteer for India and her Environment with E.F.I