Korattur Lake, one of the biggest in this locality which is endowed with many lakes, is in line for an exercise that would enable taking excess water from the lake to water bodies found nearby.
The Water Resources Department (WRD) is constructing a concrete channel to discharge excess water from the lake to adjacent water bodies including the one at Madhavaram.
Estimated to cost around Rs. 26 crore, the channel will pass through Kathivedu, Surappattu, Kalikuppam and Madhanangkuppam, covering a distance of 2.6 km.
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The project, executed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) Scheme aims to prevent flooding in the areas around the lake in Korattur.
“For years, our houses have been flooded during the monsoon as the excess water from the lake, without access to adjoining water bodies, had nowhere to go,” said S. Kathirasen, a resident of Korattur.
Under the project, a box culvert, four metres wide and two metres high, will be built at a distance of 770 metres from the lake along the service lane of Chennai Bypass Road near Kathivedu.
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The lake will be deepened and water hyacinths removed from it to increase its storage capacity, ahead of the onset of the northeast monsoon.
Once the deepening work is done, the space around the lake will be developed as a park similar to one at Thangal Eri in Ambattur Old Town (OT) with seating arrangements for visitors and a play area for children.
A walker’s path, fencing around the lake, illumination and landscaping are part of the project which is expected to be completed early next year.
“ Intermittent showers in recent days have slowed down the work. As of now, the concrete channel is being laid from the lake to facilitate easy flow of water between the two water bodies (in Korattur and Madhavaram),” said a WRD official.
The lake, spread over 990 acres, is surrounded by Villivakkam, Kolathur, Puzhal, Ambattur, Anna Nagar, Padi, Venketapuram and Perambur.