Rebirth of a Lake Lake, also called Chitlapakkam Aeri is an urban Lake located in Chitlapakkam, a suburb of in Kancheepuram District, which has been a prime water source for decades is now on the verge of extinction along with several other lakes in and around Chennai. This lake is not only a major water source of Irrigation but it is also a major source of water for tanks in the nearby areas of and Hasthinapuram. Till the early 1980s, groundwater could be found in the neighbourhood at a depth of just 5 feet. The water level did not fall below 10 feet even at the peak of summer. The area became a residential area chiefly due to the reason that the water was potable. The lake also attracted migratory birds and was a favourite spot for birdwatchers.

Habitat For BioDiversity:

Besides supporting Irrigation, recreation and water supply for tanks, Chitlapakkam has a large population of cattle which depends on water and food from this lake. Several birds belonging to Spot dotted pelicans, Grey heron, White-breasted Waterhen, Little Cormorant, migrated pelicans feed on this lake.

Problem:

The dumping of medical waste has been started in this lake which seems to be from the Government Hospital (mainly for people suffering from Tuberculosis). Not only is the purity of water being affected in plain sight but also many aquatic species and habitat of many species of Birds, if we dig a little deeper in to this issue. If the aquatic species feed on the medical waste like used needles and syringes to soiled dressings, body parts, diagnostic samples, blood, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and radioactive materials, there are chances for extinction of aquatic species and it would in turn cause contamination of water in the lake which would affect the consumers.If this continues to be an issue,then we would definitely miss a perfect habitat for having a Bird Sanctuary. The villagers who feed on the fish from the lake will be prone to health issues. So in this chain everyone will be affected from fish to humans.

Interview with people:

Mrs.Krishangini (Writer) [Chitlapakkam Resident]

 Lake size: 100 acres (approx)  Irrigation System fairly depends on lake water  Source of Water for tanks in and around areas  Only in the past 15 years maintenance habits have changed  Lake Shrunken Size:47 acres due to encroachment  Suburb Population (25000 approx)

The lake has been contaminated by the sewage from houses in the neighbourhood.Garbage from 15,000 households and sewage from 1,500 commercial establishments on GST Road make their way into the lake. The open space near a lake in Chitlapakkam has been converted into a dump yard. The dump yard has been in existence for more than a century. The city generates about 8 tonnes of waste every day. Sanitary workers of the local body dump 3 tonnes of waste generated by the town at the half-acre yard in front of the lake and set fire to it. The smoke generated creates woes to the general public and the patients who come to the adjacent government hospital. The remaining 5 tonnes of waste is collected from 10,030 households in the 18 wards of the local body by Green Friends of Hand-In-Hand (HIH). It is segregated in a scientific method in a biocompost shed. HIH is a Kancheepuram-based NGO that specializes in solid waste management in the state. In 1990, the government planned to use the lake bed for construction of public utilities namely, a district court, bus terminus and the Taluk office. Residential layouts were planned by the Housing Board on the lake bed. However, the locals resisted these governmental measures by means of a massive campaign to protect the lake and succeeded. Because of the presence of lake, the water table level is higher compared with many other areas in Chennai. The level of water table in this area is 2.50 to 8 m, and the level of TDS is 400 to 900 ppm.So the only way solution is “Government should intervene between the medical industries and pollution control Department and should come up with an amicable solution such that everyone gets benefitted.”

Building a wall around a lake with inlets to feed the runoff water from the surroundings & causing awareness to both industries and habitants of the suburbs people about the importance of this water source and importance of having a habitat for rare species of birds can also be considered.

Overview Of Lake:

Images-View Of Lake

*Clean and Crystal Clear Water *Greenary on the sides

One Side Of The Lake:

*Place For Fishing *Place for Recreation

* Drip irrigation along the ends *Place of Dwelling for rare birds

Domestic Waste & Medical Waste

Affecting Animals,Birds and Humans:

*Cattle getting affected *Rare Species of Birds getting affected

*Humans getting affected *Aquatic life getting affected

This lake is not only a major water source to areas in and around Chitlapakkam suburb but it is also a major natural rain water harvesting system and a natural habitat for rare Bird Species. The image shows that the dumping of industrial waste has just been started in this lake which seems to be from the medical industry. Not only is the purity of water being affected in plain sight but also many aquatic species, if we dig a little deeper in to this issue. If the cattle feed on industrial waste, it would in turn produce milk & meat of poor quality which would affect the consumers. The villagers who feed on the fish from the lake will be prone to health issues. So in this chain everyone will be affected from fish to humans.