CHENNAI: More than eight tonnes of garbage has been cleared from the Korattur lake by a group of volunteers over the last two weeks. A group of nearly 50 volunteers have joined hands to clean the lake every weekend.
Like-minded conservationists from the area began a 52-week challenge on April 11 and have been cleaning the polluted lake. Due to Covid-induced lockdown, the work was stalled for four weeks, but has since resumed.
S Sekaran from Korattur Lake Conservation Movement said the lake is heavily polluted and that most of the waste here constitutes liquor bottles and water bottles. This is because miscreants visit the place at night. This not only spoils the lake, but also raises safety concerns for the residents of the area.
“Even though we clean the lake during the daytime, anti-social elements pollute it during nights. Awareness boards have been put up to prevent this,” he said. Though there is a 3.5-km walkway surrounding the lake, many avoid it due to the stench from garbage and safety issues. It may be noted that the lake was once the primary drinking water source for more than 18,000 houses in the area.
Another issue is the release of industrial effluents into the lake. The National Green Tribunal has passed an order to form a joint committee and suggest measures. An inspection report submitted by the State government to NGT found that the top soil of Korattur lake is heavily contaminated. TNPCB also informed the tribunal that action has been initiated against 153 industries letting effluents into the lake.
The residents worry that discharge of effluents will affect the ground water and eventually drinking water.
The lake had thriving populations of fishes, visiting birds, snakes, turtles, along with microscopic and macroscopic plants. The eBird database, a repository of checklists of birds from around the world, has recorded more than 130 species of birds in and around Korattur lake.