Stop dumping and burning of garbage. That’s a plea from residents of Peerkankaranai to the State Government and the Town Panchayat. They say that the waterbody is facing these twin evils.

Instead of segregating the waste, conservancy workers set it on fire, says a resident, who does not not want to be named.

He further said that continuous burning is causing skin problems to the resident of Kamaraj Nagar, K. K. Nagar, Sri Ram Nagar, Vel Nagar and Sakthi Nagar.

The lake is in an utter state of neglect. All kinds of waste are seen on the banks of the waterbody. As the water body is centrally-located, near the Perungalathur bus terminal, the lake has become an open toilet for passengers.

The staff at the refreshment stalls and hotels at the bus terminus throw the leftovers into the lake. Waste water from the eateries is discharged into the lake through stormwater drains.

Sewage is also discharged into the waterbody by encroachers, contaminating the ground water, say residents. Though, notices have been issued to the encroachers to vacate the place in 2015 and 2018, no action has been taken till date.

The lake is the basic source of ground water in the area. The original expanse of the lake was 50 acres, it has rebeen duced to 10 acres due to garbage disposal and residential growth around the water body.

Residents want the State Government to restore and rejuvenate the lake. The restoration works should include formation and strengthening of bunds, de-silting and deepening the remaining water-holding area and construction of a weir.

Frequent calls to the authorities in the Water Resources Department evoked no response.

(On pages 6 and 7, read how residents are leading lake restoration initiatives)