CHENNAI: About 45 years ago, when we were kids, we used to swim in this lake. The water was so clean and fresh that hundreds of migratory birds visited the lake. Now, we only find garbage and concrete in this waterbody,” said Balachandran, a member of Ambattur Waterbodies Protection Movement (AWPM).
The Ambattur lake, which is on the city’s western edge, has shrunk from 650 acres to 440 acres due to encroachments and pollution. The irony is that with more than 17,000 people living in the area and such a large water body in the vicinity, the groundwater in the area is contaminated and the residents are receiving Metro water only once in three days.
“Funds to the tune of about `40 crore were released by the government for the rejuvenation and restoration of Korattur, Ambattur and Madhavaram lakes together from 2015-18. Thirteen crore each for 2015-16 (phase one) and 2016-17 (phase two) and Rs 13.18 crore for 2017-18. But not even hyacinth has been removed from the lake, as long as one can remember,” said another member of AWPM, on condition of anonymity.
Numerous houses, with and without government approval have been built around the lake. Due to the absence of a proper drainage system and intermittent garbage collection, illegal drain lines are laid from homes to the lake and the trash is directly thrown into the waters.
“MKB Nagar, Sivananda Nagar, Samthariya Nagar, Sathyapuram and Nehru Nagar are some of the areas that let polluted water into the lake. The first step towards addressing the issue of lake pollution is fixing the sewage system in the area,” said K Ramanujam, a resident. Adding, another resident said, the incidence of groundwater pollution is highest in Ambattur area where large volumes of solid waste are concentrated and discharged into Ambattur Lake.
When a complaint was made to the CM Cell, the residents received a reply saying the restoration work is ongoing. However, they rue that nothing has happened in reality and that this is the best time to desilt because parts of the lake are bone-dry. The concerned officials from the Public Works Department could not be contacted despite several attempts.