A project to rejuvenate Porur lake may be delayed, as work to desilt and deepen the waterbody is progressing at a slow pace due to the rains.
The Water Resources Department (WRD) had taken up the project to improve the lake, which has a water spread area of 250 acres, early this year.
Sources at the WRD said work to deepen the lake and remove silt from it had not been carried out regularly because of the intermittent showers the city has been receiving.
“If it rains for a day, we have to wait for at least three days to begin work on the lake as it takes time for the soil to dry,” a source said. Of the nearly 2 lakh loads of silt that are to be removed, only 4,000 loads have been removed so far.
The project envisages deepening the lakebed by two metres to increase its capacity from 46 cubic feet of water (mcft) to 70 mcft so that it can be used as a drinking water source for the city.
The WRD will also strengthen the lake bund to avoid its being breached during floods.
WRD officials said they, along with revenue officials were planning to evict nearly 20 structures that have encroached upon the lake area in Thelliagaram, Iyyanpanthangal next week. Once this is done, the water body will be fenced for over 7.5 km to protect it from further encroachments.
Meanwhile, an inquiry is on to determine whether a three-acre plot of land on Mount Poonamallee Road is part of the water body or if it is private property. A team of WRD and revenue officials inspected the area on Wednesday.
