Restore Selaiyur, Sembakkam lakes, demand residents

According to Sreekumar K, a resident of Selaiyur, the lake there is now filled with waste and sewage. “The volunteers have removed garbage and water hyacinth,” he added. Pointing out that many other lakes in the city were being restored into eco-parks, the resident demanded the same at Selaiyur lake, too. Also, the visitors who litter the park should be penalised, as it is the responsibility of the public to ensure that the lake is clean, he added.

The situation is similar in the case of Sembakkam lake. Its water was once used for agriculture, drinking and domestic purposes, and it had a number of birds. “But as the lake became polluted, no birds have come for more than five years. When volunteers took initiative to restore the lake, officials denied them permission. Otherwise, most of the work would have been completed by now,” said Thirukumaran A, a resident of Chitlapakkam.

When contacted, Assistant Executive Engineer Radhakrishnan said, “The lake would be restored under the Rs 3,000-crore flood mitigation project. We are awaiting funds from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Once the funds are allotted, the work would be started.”