Joseph Reginald, a researcher and an avid bird watcher on his routine visit to the water body said, “I noticed a huge pile of expired snacks dumped along the bunds of the lake. While hundreds of packs were floating on the waters, there was another bag full left unopened.” 

There were even birds foraying on the snacks left over at the spot. “I took photos and sent to officials of the civic body to remove the dump. I am yet to check if those packs have been taken away,” he explained. It is a warning sign that urban environments are being weighed down by official indifference, he added.

Environmentalists warn that indiscriminate dumping of waste along the bunds takes a toll on the flora and fauna of the water body. “It directly affects the aquatic species, birds and micro organisms in the lake.

It is painful that despite carrying out a number of awareness activities, the public have scant regard for the wetland eco system and tend to spoil it by their activities.” Environmentalists feel that the neglect is so much that it would affect the environment slowly and turn the city into an un-liveable mess. Therefore, there is a dire need for the government to take their recommendations seriously, they said.

This incident comes barely a week after some local fishermen set fire to palm saplings raised by environmentalists along the bunds of Singanallur Lake.

Following the intervention of civic body officials, the fishermen have agreed not to be a hindrance to conservation works taken up in the lake.