What was once a barren waterbody is now brimming with water. Encroachments have been removed from its banks and the Moovarasampet lake has been de-silted and deepened.
M. Chandra Kesavan, councillor, ward 13, Pallavapuram Municipality, has been involved in the revival of the lake. He wrote a series of petitions requesting the Kancheepuram Collectorate to remove the encroachments.
“Acting immediately on the request of the Collectorate, the Public Works Department surveyed the waterbody and cleared the encroachments. The garbage and the tree logs were cleared; sewage inflow valves were blocked; EB posts were re-located and huts were removed. Apart from clearing the encroachments, the waterbody was de-silted and considerably deepened,” says Kesavan. Now the waterbody measures 44 acres.
Also, the PWD has created islands for aquatic species, percolation trenches for effective water harvesting and reef bed for growing planktons. Around 300 saplings, along with tree guards, have been planted on the banks of the waterbody as well as in Jayalakshmi Nagar, Subham Nagar and Krishna Nagar. The sprawling waterbody attracts a lot of winged visitors, including Australian pelicans, Indian cormorants and water-hens. Fishing is carried out at the lake.
“Thanks to the de-silting and deepening of the waterbody, the groundwater level has increased up to a radius of 10km including Zamin Pallavaram, Moovarsampet, Madipakkam, Tirusulam and Keezhkattalai,” says the councillor.
“Also, stormwater drains have been constructed at a cost of Rs.25 lakh at several colonies in East Pallavaram and Zamin Pallavaram. They are supposed to let rainwater into the waterbody in addition to the excess water from Jadai Eri, Zamin Pallavaram and Tirusulam Eri. The six EB posts on the riverbed were re-located to Amma Link Road, Tirusulam,” he said. Meanwhile, residents of Krishna Nagar and Jayalakshmi Nagar have requested the authorities to take steps to prevent dumping and burning of garbage on the banks of Moovarasampet Lake.
“A foul odour pervades the air. In recent days, the practice of burning garbage has increased considerably. We face several health problems due to this,” S. Rama Kumar, secretary, Jayalakshmi Nagar Welfare Association, and J.T. Sebastian, president, Krishna Nagar Welfare Association, said.
