Plea to de-silt Veeraraghavan Lake before the onset of monsoon

Apology for a lake: Unauthorised sewer lines from residential houses and commercial establishments have contaminated Veeraraghavan Lake. Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Another neglected water body in the suburbs is the Veeraraghavan Lake.

The Tiruneermalai town panchayat carried out improvement work on the lake in 2012. Residents and the public have been requesting the Thiruneermalai town panchayat to clean up the water body. 

“The lake has not been de-silted. Draining of sewer into the lake has affected it a lot. The bore wells in the residential areas have gone dry and the taste and quality of water have gone down. If the lake is de-silted, wells and bore-wells in the houses will be recharged,” the residents said.

All kinds of wastes are dumped into the lake, which is spread over 25 acres.

Illegal sewer lines from residential houses and commercial establishments have contaminated the water body.

“Water levels in wells at houses around the lake have gone down. There have been demands from many quarters to carry out de-silting work and strengthen the bunds to restore the water quality. But, nothing has materialised so far,” V. Santhanam, a social activist, said.  

The recent spell of rain has worsened the situation. Residents said, “Had the Thiruneermalai Town Panchayat taken steps to increase the level of water outlet, strengthened the bunds and checked illegal sewer connections in the water body, the rainwater could have been saved. The water body helps recharge groundwater.” At present, there is a severe water crisis in the suburbs.

The drop in the groundwater table in Palar river has resulted in water shortage in the suburbs. Chromepet and Pallavapuram receive Palar water only once in 20 to 30 days.

The residents hope that steps would be taken by Town panchayat officials to de-silt and deepen the lake before the onset of monsoon.