Zoo lake brims after 3 years, thanks to restoration

“Owing to poor inflow, the lake remained dry for years, resulting in the arrival of migratory birds coming to a nought. We worked hard to revive and rejuvenate the lake, and finally, the waterbody is restored. We have deepened the lake up to 15 feet depth from last year. The last time the lake was filled was during the flood in 2015,” said Sudha Ramen, Deputy Director of Vandalur zoo.

Elaborating on the efforts put in restoring the lake, Sudha said, “It took almost a year to clear drainage channels, desilt the waterbodies, and plant native trees near the banks. But apart from these, thanks are due to the northeast monsoon, which has enabled the lake’s restoration.”

Also, due to lack of water in the lake, there were no migrating birds spotted for the past three years. But now, there are many migratory species, with almost five species spotted camping at the lake, the Deputy Director said. “It is happy to see them back,” she added.

With the lake’s restoration being widely commended on social media, the official said that earlier, the surplus quantity from the Otteri lake flowed to different lakes that were utilised for agricultural purposes. With the lake going dry, farmers were unable to cultivate.

However, with the channels now having been cleared, the problem wouldn’t surface again in the coming years, theofficial hoped.