Thanks to the lake at the Chetpet Eco Park having over seven feet of water, visitors to the park will soon be able to enjoy some new fun activities, including kayaking and stand-up paddling.
The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department Corporation (TNFDC) will shortly introduce these sports in the lake, which is spread over nine acres and has two islands.
Stand-up paddling will be an activity where one person can stand on a large surf board and paddle on the water. The activity is getting quite popular in Europe. Users will have to wear life jackets, and a life guard will be available at all times in the area. Kayaking on the calm waters will be done with open kayaks.
TNFDC managing Director G. S. Sameeran said that the lake has enough water as a result of the desilting and deepening done last year. “We were able to save rainwater during the last monsoon. We are planning to introduce these activities this month and hope city residents will have more fun this summer. The modalities, including timings and charges, are being worked out.”
These activities are to be implemented through a revenue-sharing model with Kovalam-based Surf Turf that will manage the activities, invest in equipment and maintain them. The Corporation, which manages the Eco Park, has allowed Surf Turf to use the lake. They will share certain a percentage of revenue generated.
“These sports can be used both as exercise and as leisure activities. It depends on how much you want to push yourself. The timings would be from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then again from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. We are quite excited about the tie up and expect a lot of beginners to come and try their hand,” said Arun Vasu, CMD TT Group and mentor at Surf Turf.
