The proposal for rejuvenating Pallavaram and Keelkattlai lakes in southern suburbs awaits administrative sanction from the State government. The detailed project reports were prepared and sent to various government departments involved in the major task.
To a petition submitted under Right to Information Act 2005, the Water Resources Department of the Public Works Department said that Pallavaram Periya Eri would be rejuvenated at a cost of ₹5.05 crore and Kilkattllai lake would be rejuvenated at a cost of ₹3.80 crore.
The reply also said that rejuvenation works on Hasthinapuram (which is now dry) and Nemilichery lakes could be taken up if Members of Parliament or Legislative Assembly prioritise their allotment of Local Area Development funds.
Federation of Civic Welfare Associations of Pallavaram president V. Santhanam said it was high time the PWD or Municipal Administration prioritises this, as work needs to be completed before onset of monsoon. Had they started working on these waterbodies earlier this year, by this time major portions of works would have been over, he said.
Pallavaram Municipal Commissioner, K. Sivakumar said work included preventing sewage draining into the Pallavaram Lake, and they have tried to address this by channeling the sewage through Under Ground Drainage pipes to Perungudi STP, bund rising, and removal of existing garbage dumpsite by using bio-mining methodology.
The garbage – bio degradable and non-bio-degradable – that got accumulated over the years at the dumping yard without being segregated continued to pose a huge challenge to the municipal authorities.
A scientific solution to tackle this issue would be put in use when the bio-mining method is adopted on the advice of the department. Municipal Administration department officials said under the bio-mining process unclassified waste was divided into various segments.
Another ₹7 crore has been allocated for undertaking bio-mining process and removal of encroachments also there to execute these works, he said.
