On February 12, Arun Krishnamurthy led a cycling tour of waterbodies — one called ‘Cyclakes’ — that Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) had restored in the OMR-ECR area. It was a whirlwind three-hour tour covering urban waterbodies within close range of these arterial roads. The Hindu Downtown ploughed a lone trail and took a dekko at two lakes, sprawling inches outside that itinerary. Situated in the inner recesses of the OMR-ECR region, these waterbodies had also been restored by EFI.
The choice of these two lakes -- Kollapancheri lake in Padur and Pollacheri lake in Pollacheri, Ponmar, which is a ridiculously short canter away from bustling Thalambur — was dictated by the fact that they lie wedged into environments that are ecologically rich and delicate at the same time. These lakes are parked in a landscape whose backdrop forms images of urbanisation advancing fiercely on horseback. That imagery is particularly pertinent to Kollapancheri lake in Padur.
During Cyclakes, a cycling tour of waterbodies organised by Environmentalist Foundation of India on February 12. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The first stop was Kollapancheri lake, which contributes handsomely to the hydrological diversity of the area. A freshwater lake, it shares fences with a strange neighbour, the Muttukadu backwaters, which together with the Buckingham Canal, make for an estuarine environment.
While heading to Kollapancheri lake, one cannot avoid driving through a section of Padur that still latches possessively on to its pastoral trappings, but urbanisation is closing in, casting its tall grey shadows — picture towering apartments — upon it. One striking feature of the stubbornly-rural section of Padur is that at every house, a water tap is part of the facade. Potable water is on tap for an hour-and-a-half in the morning. The local panchayat provides the facility to anyone who would want to go in for a water connection, notes 48-year-old G Shankar, a resident of Padur from the cradle. The supply is consistent through the week. Shankar remarks that Padur village has never faced water scarcity, putting down the largesse to Kollapancheri lake and “another big lake on the border of Padur”. Kollapancheri lake has two wells — one right within the lake, and the other within spitting distance of it.
Urban waterbodies found in prime localities are more susceptible to encroachments and Shankar notes that the restoration of the lake with raised bunds has cemented its proper dimensions.
For the restoration of this lake, EFI had had the support of UST Global as CSR partner and the Chengalpet district administration as the administrative partner. “It is like a perennial source — it does not dry up. Even now, well into February, Kollapancherry lake is 90 p.c full. Due to the estuarine characteristics, it has always had the acquifer benefit. The water spring is constantly replenished. Buckingham Canal, Muttukadu backwaters, and the connection with Kovalam Creek create estuarine characteristics. On all sides, there is water, which includes a scattering of freshwater lakes in the region; and so, the groundwater table is enhanced by the multi-directional recharge efficiency. Somehow Padur, Kazhipattur, Kovalam and Muttukadu always have good groundwater due to multi-directional water flow,” says Arun.
The next stop is Pollacheri lake in Ponmar panchayat. From an administrative point of view, it might belong to Ponmar. But from a purely experiential standpoint, this lake is part of the larger experience of how head-spinning bustle and delicious lethargy alternate in the Siruseri region. In front of the lake stretches the Sonallur reserve forest. In fact the forefront area of the lake belongs to the reserve forest and the fencing done as part of the EFI restoration (with Hexaware as CSR partner and the Chengalpet district administration as administrative partner) underlines this fact, differentiating the fence on this section with a green-and-yellow colour combo as opposed to the green-white in the rest. A short distance away from the lake is the bustling Thalambur.
The residential sections near the lake would experience waterlogging during heavy monsoonal rains, with the lake throwing up its fresh contents, unable to keep them down the gullet. In EFI’s YouTube channel, “The Lake Night Show”, an episode on Pollacheri lake has a resident pointing out how prior to the restoration, inundation was a given. When The Hindu Downtown spoke to J Johnson, a resident of a street adjacent to the lake, he confirmed that during the heavy 2021 monsoon, there was no waterlogging on his street, which due to its proximity to the lake would be a sitting duck for inundation.
. A striking feature of the lake is the generous provision of islands that could draw birds. Arun notes that as the lake area affords sufficient quiet, it needs to be protected from misuse, essentially against a tendency to turn it into an open bar.
