Sithalappakkam lake in Chennai south to be restored – Times of India

CHENNAI: After a prolonged neglect, the Sithalappakkam lake in the southern suburbs is finally getting a facelift.
The lake on Mambakkam-Medavakkam Road, one of the oldest in the area, has a water spread area of 201 hectares and had been used for irrigation for a long time, said a PWD official, adding that Rotary Club of Madras has taken up eco-restoration of the water body.
With urbanisation, the quantity of water used for irrigation came down and residents and others began letting out sewage into the lake. However, a recent sample from the lake tested by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) showed and the quality was not as bad as thought, said the official.
The lake, which had a water holding capacity of 7.06mcft (million cubic feet), now has a capacity of 5.44mcft due to encroachments and the gathering of silt, said the official.
While the PWD authorities have identified the encroachments on the lake and have decided to take steps to evacuate and rehabilitate the squatters, the official said the illegal inlets were facilitating the flow of raw sewage into water body. Officials of the Sithalappakkam panchayat are in the process of constructing a drainage line to stop the flow of untreated sewage into the lake, he added.
Members of the Rotary of Club of Madras had been given six months to complete the restoration work. “If they are able to complete the work well before the onset of the northeast monsoon, it will be better,” said the official.