Official apathy forces volunteers to clean lake

The lake, spread across 167 acres, has been polluted for more than 15 years with garbage, sewage and industrial waste,claimed locals.

“The officials were not taking any steps to clean the lake. They inspected the lake and said they will restore it soon and showed us the report which they submitted to the government, but they haven’t started the work yet. So, we took the initiative to clean it,” Pugalvendhan V, an activist, said.

The volunteers made a proposal to the officials and got permission from PWD officials to clean the lake. Apart from cleaning it, they are also creating awareness among the public to not pollute the lake hereafter.

In the beginning, only 8 volunteers came forward. Now, it has increased to around 35 members. Volunteers spend money from their pockets to clean the lake, They each contributed Rs 1,500. They said that they need more funds, which will be raised by the public.

“Earlier, we used the water from the lake for domestic use. It is not fit for use any more due to mixing of industrial waste and sewage,” said Vijayalakmi K, a resident.

Locals said that the water can be used for agriculture and even for drinking if the lake is cleaned.

Speaking to DT Next, a senior PWD official in the Kancheepuram division said, “We submitted a proposal to the government three months ago and the restoration will begin once weget permission.”