Vembanad Lake has been heavily reclaimed over the course of the past century with the water spread area reducing from 290.85 km2 in 1917 to 227 km2 in 1971 and 213.28 km2 in 1990.

In the same period almost 63.62 km of erstwhile water spread were reclaimed primarily for the formation of polders and to enlarge the extent of the Wellington island of Cochin port.

The lake faces a major ecological crisis and has reduced to 37 percent of its original area, as a result of land reclamation.

A unique characteristic of the lake is the 1,252 metres (4,108 ft)-long Thanneermukkom salt water barrier constructed as a part of the Kuttanad Development Scheme to prevent tidal action and intrusion of salt water into the Kuttanad low-lands.

This barrier has helped farmers in Kuttanad by freeing the area of salinity and allowing them an additional crop in the dry season.

A generally safe destination, this place had just one incident of tourist harassment in 2004 as reported in The Times of India.

[8] Vembanad Lake is at the heart of Kerala Backwaters tourism with hundreds of houseboats (kettuvallams in Malayalam) plied on it and numerous resorts on its banks.

During the months of August and September, the rivers in and near Kottayam turn into activity and attraction centers due to these boat races,[9] a Kerala Tradition.

Snake boat races - the lakes and rivers come alive during Onam with this water sport.

The Kottappuram–Kollam segment of the west coast canal system has a major chunk passing through the Vembanad Lake and spans a total of 209 km.