CHENNAI: The lesser-known Sathangadu lake near Tiruvottriyur was once a serene oasis on the periphery of a bustling north Chennai cityscape. Now, with encroachments and overgrowth taking up most of its space, the lake is barely that. From occupying a whopping 77 acres of land, the lake has now been reduced to a mere 10 acres. All this is set to change. With summer just months away, the city corporation has planned to restore the waterbody to its former glory.
“We have got the NOC (no-objection certificate) from Public Works Department to clean the lake and beauty it. We plan to create bunds on the west side and make walkways too; parking facility will be arranged. The process to reclaim the encroached space will happen simultaneously,” said a corporation official attached to the Tiruvottriyur Zone.
The works will be carried out with an initial amount of `1 crore — CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds. “We are carrying out the work with the available money. A proposal of `30 crore to turn the lake into an eco-park is on the cards,” the official explained. Despite being located in a highly polluted area, the one redeeming factor of the lake is that it remains unpolluted. The water is still clear and fish are largely present. However, its unpopularity had worked against it. Even people in the locality did know about the lake, perhaps because it has no road leading to it. When the corporation officials came upon this waterbody, they decided to turn into a place for public activity.
Following an audit by revenue officials, it was found that a majority of the lake has been encroached. Recently, the encroachers had built a concrete wall along the lake to reclassify its border. However, parts of the wall has already been razed down by the officials. The Sathangadu lake is a major water source for the local residents. Ramanathan G (67), a resident of Manali, claimed, ‘‘People used to bathe there and it was a hot-spot for evening gatherings. However, when Manali New Town emerged, residents’ complexes and industries started growing and parts of the lake were taken up by those lobbies.” The corporation has also planned to lay roads to the lake but all major works are expected to begin off only after the encroachments are cleared.
Who to blame
Ramanathan, a resident of Manali, said that the lake is almost 50 years old. ‘‘It was a hot-spot for evening gatherings. When Manali New Town emerged, residents’ complexes and industries started growing and parts of the lake were taken up by these lobbies’’ he alleged.