CHENNAI: Activists have appealed to the State Government to take an inventory of the nearly 3,000 water bodies in and around Chennai and set up a regulatory authority to safeguard them.

According to the members of Exnora International, only a specialised body headed by a senior civil servant could check the ongoing encroachment and dumping of garbage and prevent the systematic destruction of water bodies. "There is enough water... what we want is water management as the ownership of the water bodies is scattered among various Government departments," said Exnora founder M.B. Nirmal at a meeting organised on Wednesday. The activists from various parts of Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur recounted instances where political lobbying and bureaucratic apathy prevented or placed hurdles in their efforts to revive lakes. Two of the examples cited are Velacherry lake, where Metrowater allegedly lets in sewage, and Ramapuram lake where garbage is dumped.

The activists cited instances where educational institutions, private builders and departments such as the highways have encroached upon water bodies.

The-yet-to-be commissioned radial road that starts at Pallavaram and ends at Old Mahabalipuram Road near Toraipakkam, according to Mr. Nirmal, has "destroyed Pallavaram big lake, Kizhkatalai lake and Narayanapuram lake."

The activists said stringent measures, including the Goondas Act, should be used against the violators. There have also been success stories where local initiatives have paid off with gardens, wide walkways and sturdy bunds surround revived lakes, tanks and ponds, said the activists. The organisers had a slide show withsparkling and well laid out lakes in Sholinganallur and Pallavaram and the now-revived Pammal lake. They said it would take only Rs. 150 crore to desilt, deepen and revive 60 water bodies, as per Anna University study. "This will yield 7 TMC of water annually, enough to alleviate city's water problem," said Kancheepuram district Exnora president T. Retnapandian.

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