Funds transferred to restore Otteri Lake inside Vandalur Zoo

CHENNAI: Otteri Lake inside the Aringar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur will soon be uplifted as the State Forest Department has transferred funds to Zoological Authority of Tamil Nadu (ZAT) to restore the lake ecologically.

The department has already transferred Rs 1.50 crore to Zoological Authority of Tamil Nadu (ZAT) to carry out the restoration works.

A department document said that the lake is the only water body located inside the zoo premises and caters the drinking water requirements for the housed animals and for the adjoining local communities. Moreover, the lake is also home to some bird species including migratory birds.

"The ecological restoration of the Otteri Lake will be undertaken to improve the ground water capacity of the lake for the benefit of local biodiversity, improvement of the habitat for facilitating the birds perch in the entire season, improved water quality through silt and sediment free water storage," an official said.

Under the project, 16 acres of the lake will be restored as it is filled with silt and weed plants affecting the water storage. The authority will create islands, mounds inside the lake and maintain channels carrying water into the lake. A few years ago, the Zoo management desilted the lake and removed vegetation to increase the water holding capacity as well as to attract more bird.