CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) all is set to receive an additional 10 million litres per day (MLD) of drinking water, with the Water Resources Department (WRD) almost completing the restoration works at Retteri Lake for Rs 43.19 crore.

The project, however, remains partially held up by a court case concerning encroachments in Nehru Nagar.

According to officials, nearly 95% of the deepening and restoration work has been completed at the 350-acre lake. The project involved deepening the lake bed, forming bunds, constructing a 2,400-metre protection wall, a 1,050-metre see-through wall, and a 3,380-metre bund, as well as creating three islands and building a regulator with two vents and a toe wall with revetment and handrails. The remaining section, construction of a protection wall in the encroached stretch, will be taken up after the Madras High Court verdict.

Once completed, the lake’s storage capacity will increase from 32 million cubic feet (mcft) to 45 mcft. “We’ve removed around 13 lakh cubic metres of silt so far. We’re awaiting the next court hearing post-summer recess to proceed with the pending work. Our goal is to finish the project before the onset of the monsoon,” a senior WRD official said. “The CMWSSB has been informed about unauthorised sewage discharge into the lake. Efforts are being made to prevent contamination as part of the plans is to utilise the lake water for drinking purposes.”

The project was launched following administrative sanction and a government order issued in June 2023. The work began in September the same year with an 18-month completion timeline.