Hinduja Leyland Finance (HLF), the captive financing arm of commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland, has played a pivotal role in the restoration of Thazhambur Eri. It took up the exercise as a corporate social responsibility exercise, bringing on board Care Earth Trust, a bio-diversity conservation NGO, which carried out the restoration.
Following clearance of garbage pile-ups and invasive weeds, the lake was desilted and deepened.
Sprawling across 30.6 hectares, the waterbody comes under the jurisdiction of Water Resources Department, Lower Palar Basin Division.
The earth excavated from the lake was used to form a super structure bund and strengthen the perimeter. As part of the restoration work, the inflow channels were cleaned to ensure the lake receives water from the catchment area.
In the water-holding area, five to six mudflats have been formed for birds to nest. Native tree species have been planted on the lake’s periphery. Mural paintings depict biodiversity have been installed.
After restoration, the waterbody has an additional capacity of 5.3 mcft over the existing 16.46 mcft. With eco-friendly materials, information tablets have been installed and a mud hut called ‘machan’ has been built around the lake. The huts are meant for visitors to sit and view the birds.
S. Nagarajan, executive vice-chairman, HLF, says, “The lake has a 2.35 km perimeter. The catchment area of the lake spreads around 1.76 square km. The restoration work started in 2018. Before the restoration work commenced, a team of ecologists, engineers, and researchers from Care Earth Trust studied the lake and its biodiversity.”