Residents of Pallavaram finally have a reason to rejoice. For, Nemilichery lake, which resembled a dumping ground until recently, has been freed of the garbage. The Public Works Department (PWD) is almost on the verge of completing the work. Desilting of the lake is also being carried out simultaneously.
“We are happy to see the lake coming back to life. Pallavaram is a water-starved area and the water supply here has always been erratic, forcing us to spend more on buying water. Once the PWD completes the work and the northeast monsoon begins in full swing, we hope it will boost the storage capacity of the lake. We could see an improvement in the water level during the recent rainfall. The water woes of Pallavaram, Hasthinapuram and Nemillichery will be reduced if the lake is maintained properly,” said V. Santhanam, president of Federation of Pallavaram Resident Welfare Association and a social activist.
The lake was once the lifeline of farmers and an important resource of groundwater recharge for the residents in the area until the Pallavaram Municipality turned it into a dumpyard. Years of exploitation shrunk the lake from 27 acres to just 3 acres.
When repeated petitions and protests to restore the lake went in vain, the residents took the matter in their own hands. In June this year, the residents and NGO volunteers joined hands to clean up the lake. “The quantum of garbage on the lake was huge and human support alone wasn’t enough for the clean up. We had to deploy poclain excavators to clear up the plastic and other non-biodegradable waste. We collected ₹17 lakh from residents and the public for the project and used up ₹11 lakh,” recalled Santhanam.
The volunteers had cleaned up almost three-fourth of the lake before the government agency stepped in and agreed to complete the remainder of the work. The excavated garbage was transported to a quarry in Tiruneermalai and other old quarry sites. Soon after, a rift between the Pallavaram Municipality and the PWD stalled the efforts. “We had spent a lot of money and effort to excavate the garbage and we feared that the uncleared mounds on the lake bed would flow back into the lake once it rained. Hence, we sought the intervention of Kancheepuram Collector, following which the work resumed in July,” he added.
However, the progress was quite slow, prompting the residents to go on a day-long fast in October. After a two-month of lull, the restoration work is almost near completion. The Pallavaram Municipality has also taken steps to prevent the flow of sewage into the lake and divert it to the underground drainage network. However, sewage is still flowing from the northern side of the lake which the civic body needs to work on to prevent further contamination of the waterbody.
