Decline of Velachery lake worries activists

The dumping of garbage and inflow of sewage are some of the major reasons for the lake’s degradation —Photo: M. Karunakaran

The sprawling Velachery Lake, brimming with water, is a pleasant sight from afar, but environmentalists fear that the lake’s condition has deteriorated alarmingly and are calling for immediate intervention.

One of the few fresh water lakes left in the city, the lake has suffered due to misuse by residents from the locality and dumping of garbage by government agencies in addition to letting untreated sewage water into it.

R. Govindan, a resident of Telugu Brahmin Street, Velachery, referred to the various infrastructure development activities undertaken by the State Government and said authorities must take steps to at least restore and protect the remaining portion of lake from further degradation.

Mr. Govindan said the lake, which once spread over 100 acres, has been reduced to half that size due to encroachments, conversion of residential plots by Tamil Nadu Housing Board and paving of roads. The construction of the Velachery Bypass Road has also helped encroachers to parcel off huge portions of the lake located on the eastern side. The rest of the portion is used as a dumping ground.

A senior official of the Chennai Corporation said though the lake belongs to the Public Works Department (PWD) on paper, the responsibility for regular maintenance has fallen on the civic body because of the need to prevent breeding of mosquitoes and controlling floods.

The Chennai Corporation had attempted to convert the lake into a tourist attraction by bringing in facilities like boating, walkway and landscaping at a cost of Rs. 5 crore, in 2010. But the plan had to be dropped because environmentalists found it unfeasible to operate boats in the water that was highly polluted, he added.

An environmental activist, who has studied the water quality in the lake said that as the Velachery Lake was a fresh water lake and a source for several small lakes in the suburbs, the authorities should take steps to arrest the letting in of untreated sewage water and remove the encroachments on the east side of the lake.