Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 31, 2008
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
CRYING FOR ATTENTION: A view of the Puzhuthivakkam lake. — TAMBARAM: Residents, citizen groups and voluntary organisations have appealed to the State government to pay more attention to existing waterbodies in the southern suburbs of Chennai. During a recent meeting organised by Neer Exnora, activists highlighted the pathetic condition of ‘Chitheri’ in Puzhuthivakkam. The waterbody’s current expanse is about 30 acres and is under the maintenance of the St. Thomas Mount panchayat union. Garbage is being dumped here by individuals and private agencies. And through a few points, sewage from domestic and commercial establishments make their way into the lake. The lake’s importance is that it serves as a source for recharging groundwater to several thickly-populated residential localities around it. ‘Chitheri’ was the last among the waterbodies that had managed to survive the onslaught of urbanisation and unplanned development and it was crucial to protect this precious resource, speakers said at the meeting held at Aravindar Annai Dhyana Nilayam. J. Kumara Manikandan, vice-chairman of Ullagaram-Puzhuthivakkam Municipality, said it had become clear that the St. Thomas Mount panchayat union could neither protect nor improve the lake and hence its care and maintenance should be handed over to the municipality. As funds were not a problem, the local body could implement improvement works, including strengthening of bunds, preventing sewage discharge, cleaning the lake’s surroundings, landscaping and a walkers’ path, Mr. Manikandan said. S. Rangarajan, chairman of Neer Exnora, said the voluntary agency would form a five-member group to coordinate with the municipality to clean the lake. The groups or ‘neer panchayats’ had been formed in a few places in the southern suburbs of Chennai to work along with local bodies, elected representatives and other environment groups to urge the State government to accord greater importance to protection of waterbodies. The activists said the government should speed up improvement works on the more than 100 lakes and tanks of Tambaram taluk as many of them were fast becoming cesspools of sewage. While pointing out that efforts of citizen groups could only create awareness, they acknowledged that only political will and direct action from the government departments could actually save waterbodies.
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