Deccan Chronicle 25.08.2009
Velachery lake to get a facelift
Chennai, Aug. 24: Hundreds of families living around Velachery lake can soon heave a sigh of relief as the lake, seen so far as an ugly water body with intolerable stench, is all set to get a new lease of life besides turning residential areas picturesque.
The Public Works Department (PWD) is likely to hand over the lake to the city corporation for beautification (first of its kind in Chennai region), confirmed a senior PWD official.
While the Chennai Metro Water Board once volunteered to beautify the lake but withdrew, red-tapism spoiled the chances of rejuvenating the lake in another instance, wherein experts of the state Water Resource Department suggested a project to re-energise the weak aquifers in Besant Nagar by carrying water from the lake through pipes to more than a dozen open dug wells and temple tanks in Tiruvanmiyur.
According to PWD sources, the proposal was mooted a few years ago but the project continued to remain on paper. But now the city corporation has agreed to rejuvenate the lake. A decade back, the lake served as a major source of drinking water for the residents of Velachery but now industrial waste and unchecked sewerage inflow that drain into the lake have polluted the eco-system of the water body.
Currently, the city corporation is drawing water from the lake to water the plants that are raised in Adyar, Taramani and neighbouring areas. Normally, the water quality improves during the monsoon but otherwise even planktons find it difficult to survive in the water, particularly in summer when the oxygen level depletes due to pollution, PWD sources added.
