DHARMAPURI: Residents of Papparapatti town have urged the town panchayat to clear up Papparapatti lake which is filled with overgrown water hyacinth and has been impacting water storage.
Papparapatti is a key town panchayat in Pennagaram taluk. It houses over 20,000 households with a large portion of the population relying on agriculture as a key source of livelihood and their key water source has been the Papparapatti lake, which is located along Palacode. It also feeds dozens of other lakes including Amma Lake, Kanjan Lake, and others before reaching the Sogathur Lake in Dharmapuri taluk located over 20 km away. However, this lake is infested with overgrown water hyacinths. The government has also sanctioned Rs 2.45 crore to clear the weeds and improve the lake. However, so far no initiative has been taken.
D Senthamizhan, a resident of Papparapatti, told TNIE, “Nearly a year ago, Rs 2.45 crore was sanctioned under the Tamil Nadu Urban Development fund to clear the lake and improve its canals. However, so far no initiative has been taken by the town panchayat. At present because of the overgrown water hyacinth, the entire storage capacity of the lake is impacted. Moreover, the canals through which water from Jarhalav Lake is flowing are also blocked. Hence, efforts must be taken to clear the overgrowth.”
J Karthik, another resident, said, “Funds were also allocated to construct pavements along the shores and set up street lights around the lake. It would improve the beauty of the lake. There are also a few encroachments on the lake canals, efforts should be taken to clear these too. Further, there is also a lot of plastic waste in the lake and efforts must be taken to prevent pollution.”
When TNIE attempted to contact the Executive Office of Papparapatti town panchayat, they were unavailable for comment.