Rs 25 crore restoration work of Chitlapakkam lake to begin in Dec

“The work was supposed to begin by September, but there was a delay in finalisingthe tender. During the restoration, the lake bund willbe strengthened and a new foreshore bund running along 960 metres will be constructed as a part of the project. A footpath will also be laid on the lake bund,” said Thiagarajan, an executive engineer with WRD.

A drain would be constructed on the foreshore of the lake to collect sewage, which now flows into the waterbody unchecked. It would be connected to the proposed sewage treatment plant and release treated sewage into the lake, Thiagarajan added.

The restoration will cost the exchequer Rs 25 crore which was announced by the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswamy in July. “The money will be used to strengthen the bund, remove encroachments, prevent sewage from entering the lake, and save excess water flow,” said Thiagarajan.

Residents of Chitlapakkam had taken the initiative to desilt the lake in June. “We had been asking the officials for more than two years to desilt and restore the lake, which they failed to do. Later, we asked the WRD to give us the permit to desilt the lake and they accepted a year later,” said Ganapathy M, resident of Muthulakshmi Nagar.

The desilting work was completed in September. “The officials promised us that they would restore the lake once it was desilted. But they delayed the work. Chitlapakkam lake’s restoration has been a long-pending demand. We only hope that the project is carried out soon,” he added.