Permission obtained for adopting lake to revive it.

To provide a facelift to the Kumaragiri Lake in Ammapet,
work began on Sunday to desilt the lake, strengthen the bunds and
establish a park at a cost of Rs. 70 lakh.

The 39.25
acre lake, which once served as a major drinking water source for the
city residents, has turned into a storage canal for untreated effluents,
sewage and dump yard for plastic materials resulting in a breeding
place for mosquitoes and posing a health hazard to the citizens.

Hence,
in order to restore its lost significance, members of Salem Citizens
Forum had prepared a plan and obtained permission from the Corporation
for adopting the lake to revive it.

“The lake will be
desilt, bunds strengthened and four bunds will be created apart from
planting 6,000 trees in a replica of Mookeneri model so as to create a
bird sanctuary,” a member of the forum said.

A park
would be established, pedestrian way would be created for senior
citizens apart planting fruit bearing trees that would benefit the
people, the member added.

The main objective is to
increase the water storage capacity in the lake, treat the effluent
water and allow it to enter the lake and remove garbage dumped along the
lake, added the members.

They also wanted the people
to contribute generously to the project so that the benefit is also
reaped by the future generations.

To create awareness
among the people about protecting Nature, students and members of
various organisations also took out a rally around the lake on Sunday.

A ‘Save Kumaragiri Lake Campaign’ was also launched recently by the forum.