Mookaneri Lake

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). 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.

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. 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. The lake islands were populated by nearly 12,000 trees as of 2013.