A gap in executing works to restore the Korattur lake, a the major waterbody in the western parts of the city, has led to mushrooming of encroachments in the lake bed.
Makeshift structures have been put up in the lake bed at Dhanalakshmi Nagar and Thachan Nagar, encroaching on the lake and catchment areas.
The newly laid bund along the lake has been breached and new buildings have come up inside the lake boundary demarcated by the Water Resources Department (WRD), the local residents said.
The WRD removed encroachments in February and laid a 750-metre-long bund.
Members of the Korattur Aeri Pathukappu Makkal Iyakkam (KAPMI), who have filed a case with the National Green Tribunal, Southern Zone, alleged that attempts were being made to sell land in the encroached portions of the lake near Menambedu. WRD officials recently lodged a complaint with the police against those who breached the bund and laid a road on the lake bed.
S. Sekharan, secretary of KAPMI, said the department should take measures to ensure that the area around the lake is fenced to prevent further encroachments. The surplus course that brings flood water from Ambattur to Korattur lake continues to carry sewage from areas such as Gnanamurthy Nagar and DTP Colony.
As inlets to the lake have been blocked, sewage release has been temporarily prevented. Measures to resolve the issue should be taken and the canal should be desilted before the northeast monsoon sets in, as the inlets would need to be opened then, Mr. Sekharan said. Though an action plan was submitted for lake restoration, including sewer connections and treatment plants in Ambattur, it was yet to be implemented, he added.
Meanwhile, the Water Resources Department is awaiting funding from the government to kickstart projects, including installing regulators near inlets, desilting and solid waste removal from the lake. Officials said the work and the eviction had been delayed due to the lockdown.
There were plans to desilt the inlet channels as part of pre-monsoon work by August.
Eco-restoration project also includes creating nesting islands for birds and parks.
“We ask non-governmental organisations to carry out the work after providing them with funding and also offer technical guidance,” the official added.
