Speaking to DT Next, Nisha of Nature Conservancy of India, said that the survey process has been completed.

“The Care Earth Trust has studied the lake’s biodiversity and a few more studies are going on. The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has studied the hydrology and other aspects of the lake,” she said.

The draft study report of the various studies show that there are evidences of water pollution in the lake due to garbage and sewage inflow. IIT’s report highlights the silt accumulation on the lake. “After the final report is compiled, we will have discussions with various departments concerned like the Public Works Department to evolve a plan for the scientific restoration of the waterbody,” she said. 

Representatives from various resident welfare associations participated in the meeting. Majority of the residents complained that the groundwater quality has deteriorated due to the continuous inflow of sewage water from nearby localities like Chitlapakkam.

They pointed out the lack of desilting means that the lake doesn’t store rainwater, for which it had been created for. In addition, the water from Selaiyur lake doesn’t enter the Sembakkam lake because the connecting drains are encroached. “We want to ensure that the restoration of the waterbody is done thoroughly, as it is a critical source of water for the locality,” said Ramakrishnan, a resident of Sembakkam, who attended the meeting.