Deepen Velachery lake by 50%: Chief Secy
CHENNAI: To prevent flooding around Velachery, state chief secretary N Muruganandam directed the water resources department (WRD) to explore the possibilities of increasing the capacity of Velachery Lake by 50% of its present capacity.
Based on an instruction from the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the chief secretary convened a meeting with the secretaries of departments, including the water resources department, environment, climate change and forest department, revenue and disaster management department, housing and urban development department and others.
During the meeting, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board informed that four sewage inlet points had been plugged. Meanwhile, the Chennai Metropolitan
Development Authority (CMDA) proposed a project ‘renovation of Velachery Lake’ by deepening the lake for Rs. 23.50 crore under the Lake Front Development Scheme.
The planning authority explained that the lake’s capacity will increase by 22 per cent after the works. However, the chief secretary directed the WRD and CMDA to take steps to increase storage by 50 per cent. Presently, the lake has a capacity of 4.35 mcft. Instructions were given to the departments to identify vacant land around Velachery, provide housing to 955 families residing near the lake, or offer tenements in Perumbakkam if nearby land is unavailable.
Meanwhile, the NGT’s southern bench instructed the government to deepen other lakes — Adambakkam Tank, Madipakkam Tank, Keelkattalai Tank, Narayanapuram Tank and Pallikaranai Tank — located downstream to avoid flooding in monsoon.