Work on the renovation of Retteri lake, one of the city’s biggest lakes, has begun. Recently, workers attached to the Water Resource Department (WRD), a wing of the Ministry of Public Works, de-silted the water body.
Located on the Grand Northern Trunk (GNT) Road, also known as Kolkata Highway, the lake is spread over 5.42 million square metres and fed by adjacent water bodies such as Red Hills reservoir and Korattur lake. Separate concrete channels were set up a few years ago between the two water bodies and Retteri lake to discharge excess rainwater from the former to the latter during monsoon. This also helps prevent flooding in neighbouring areas, which include Kolathur, Padi, Korattur, Ambattur and Villivakkam.
“The renovation work of Retteri lake is part of a Rs. 85 crore project which includes work at other water bodies in Ambattur and Korattur. The work is aimed at converting large waterbodies into water collection points that would help recharge the water table,” said a PWD official.
As part of the project, the Retteri lake will be de-silted, deepened and cleaned by removing the excessive growth of water hyacinth. This effort is expected to create adequate storage capacity in the waterbody before the onset of the northeast monsoon.
Once the deepening work is done, the space around the lake will be developed into a park similar to the one at Thangal Eri in Ambattur Old Town (OT) with seating arrangements for visitors and a small play area for children.
A walker’s path, fencing around the lake and better illumination will also be taken up at the site.
“For decades, the lake was a major source of drinking water. It also enabled cultivation of farmlands in the area. The lake, which is perennial, is now seen as an invaluable resource in recharging ground water in surrounding areas,” said K. Sethuraman, a resident of Villivakkam.
