Residents and NGOs have come together to save an old lake at Madambakkam.
What’s it about? 80% of the restoration work at the lake has been completed thanks to joint efforts by the Care Earth Trust, the Madambakkam Residents’ Welfare Associations, and the Rotary Club of Chennai Coastal. The lake dates back to the British era near Tambaram. Recently, people organised a cleaning drive at the periphery of the lake.
- Residents have long demanded the Tambaram Corporation to shift the composting centre in the lake’s foreshore area. Some of the waste from the plant had polluted the lake.
- There’s also been the issue of garbage dumping along the lake’s periphery. The lake is spread over 7 acres. It has a storage capacity of nearly 1.7 million cubic feet. This will be increased to 20,000 kilolitres.
Who said what? One resident said the lake has been neglected for several years and was a source of groundwater recharge. S Thirunavukkarasu from Care Earth Trust said they have deepened and dredged about 15,000 cubic metres of earth so far.