Open defecation rampant on Ayapakkam lake

Chennai: The 100-acre Ayapakkam lake in Ambattur, which was once a freshwater source for drinking and agriculture, is now a neglected mess where open defecation is rampant.
The water body is part of a chain of lakes from Avadi, carrying surplus water to Ambattur and areas beyond, including Korattur. Though it was restored in 2020 by the Public Works Department through an NGO, the lake is now in a bad state again.
A visit by TOI showed that its bunds, stretching up to 800 metres, are filled with human excreta. The bunds are also filled with trees, plants, and shrubs, indicating that the lake has not been maintained for years.
The lake receives surplus from upstream areas such asAvadi, Paruthipattu, and Sekkadu and is now just 2-feet-deep in some spots against its original depth of six feet. Most parts of the lake are filled with sewage and water hyacinth, while the stretch along the Ayappakkam Main Road side has been encroached upon.
Since the lake's boundaries are not demarcated, and a compound wall is missing, miscreants enter to dump waste and defecate too. Presently, the water storage capacity is only 30 mcft.
As the storage is less in this lake, water drains at a rate of 2098 cusecs to Ambattur, flooding most areas downstream.
Experts said if the lake's capacity is improved by 50% to 100%, it will not just serve as a freshwater source but will help in preventing flooding.
B Sakthivel, a hydrologist who conducted a study on this lake, said its capacity has to be increased by 100%. "Restoring this lake can help prevent flooding in Ambattur entirely. It has to be protected after restoration too," he said.
The Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association, in a recent study, had recommended a diversion drain from this lake to Koladi Lake nearby, to Cooum River near Thiruverkadu. "The lake has to be at full capacity for better water storage and diversion," said Sakthivel.
WRD Assistant Engineer Gowri Shankar said it would require 80 lakh to restore the lake fully.
"We have to put walkways, gates, and fencing, apart from desilting. With people's participation, it can be maintained. If the govt gives us scheme-based funding, we will undertake restoration," he told TOI.