The office-bearers of Sri Sarvamangala Nagar Residents Association (SSMNRA), Chitlapakkam, submitted a petition to P. Ponniah, Kancheepuram Collector, for the restoration of Sembakkam lake.
The members also organised a signature campaign to restore the lake and submitted the document to the Collector.
M. Ravi, secretary, SSMNRA, requested the Collector to take steps to have sprawling waterbody de-silted and deepened, encroachments in the lake area removed and the discharge of sewage into the waterbody from East Tambaram, Chitlapakkam and Pallavaram, stopped.
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“Five years ago, the Public Works Department (PWD) issued notices to the encroachers to vacate and to the Revenue Department, Kancheepuram district, to set the boundaries of the waterbody. None of these things happened.” K. Ramakrishna, executive committee member, said, “As sewage is being let into the waterbody, residents are concerned that the groundwater would be contaminated in the coming days. Steps must be taken at the earliest to construct an underground drainage system or commission sewage treatment plants.” The office-bearers requested the Collector to inspect the waterbody. To which, the Collector said steps would be taken to inspect the lake. They also met authorities of the Water Resources Department and requested them to take steps to de-silt and deepen the Chitlapakkam and Sembakkam lakes. P. Santhanam, coordinator, Chitlapakkam and Sembakkam Lakes Rejuvenation Committee, said, “Steps should be taken to arrest discharge of sewage from Tambaram Sanatorium into Chitlapakkam lake. Early construction of underground drainage system or commissioning of Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) would be a better solution.”
Owing to dumping of garbage and discharge of sewage into the lake, it is contaminated. “Moreover, burning of garbage at the waterbody continues unabated,” he pointed out.