The Hindu        10.06.2013

Ayanambakkam lake to get new lease of life

The lake, which is spread over 85 hectares, is the main source of
groundwater recharge for neighbouring localities —Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

After several decades of neglect, the Ayanambakkam lake
is all set to become a storage point for Chennai’s drinking water
supply.   

The Water Resources Department (WRD) has
now started work to rejuvenate the lake, which is the main source of
groundwater recharge for neighbouring localities, at a cost of Rs. 30
crore.

Spread over 85 hectares, the lake has the
capacity to hold 290 million cubic feet of water. Once the project is
completed, the storage capacity would be raised to 314 mcft. This is
equal to ten days’ water supply to the city.

Residents
of Ayanambakkam recall experiences of travelling in makeshift thermocol
boats when the lake bund was breached during rains. However, over the
years, this lake, like many other water bodies, has run dry. The remains
of encroaching structures on the lake bed bear testimony to the misuse
of the water body.

Ezhilarasi Prathanam, a resident
of Melayanambakkam and Thiruverkadu municipality councillor, said
residents of surrounding localities such as Numbal, Thiruverkadu and
Koladi largely depend on the groundwater available at a depth of 20-30
feet here.

“The lake water may be used for the
drinking water needs of the city. Desilting it will recharge the water
table here and help municipality sink more borewells to provide drinking
water,” she said.

As the first step towards stopping
misuse of the water body, the supply channel to the lake, Paruthipattu
anicut across Cooum river near Avadi is being converted into a concrete
structure. As the neighbouring localities lack underground drainage
networks, sewage has been released into the channel. However, officials
say, this has not affected the quality of the lake water as the
localities have not developed extensively.     

“The
areas around the supply channel running for a distance of 2.2 km are
developing now. We are covering the channel and laying a concrete road.
The work will be completed next month,” said an official.

The
2-metre-wide and 1.5-metre-high channel will bring 100 cubic feet of
water to the lake whenever the Cooum river, which is an unpolluted
waterway at this point, is recharged.Several labourers are engaged in
strengthening the 2.4-km-long bund.

“We are waiting
for environment clearance from the Tiruvallur collectorate to desilt and
deepen the water body from the present depth of 5.5 metre to 7 metre,”
said an official.

 The department expects to earn
revenue of Rs. 80-Rs. 90 lakh through the sale of sand excavated from
the lake. Chennai Metrowater will come up with a plan to draw water once
the project is completed by this year-end.