The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Lake attracts visitors to Adyar Poonga

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Friday, Oct 03, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Lake attracts visitors to Adyar Poonga

Deepa H Ramakrishnan

A veritable visual treat, the lake is surrounded by saplings of shrubs and trees

— Photo: S.R.Raghunathan

IT’S FOR REAL: A view of the lake developed at the Adyar Poonga.

CHENNAI: The Adyar Poonga on Greenways Road now has a new attraction in the form of a fresh water lake with a small island in the middle.

The lake, which is drawing hundreds of visitors every day, was developed in the recent weeks and helps bring down the temperature by a few degrees.

A veritable visual treat even as further developments are under way, the lake is surrounded by saplings of shrubs and trees, including punnai and neeradambai.

Local Administration Minister M.K.Stalin inaugurated a programme to plant saplings along the banks of the lake recently.

The lake is the upstream side of a fresh waterbody that is coming up in the Adyar Creek and will also be fed by nearby stormwater drains. The plantation around the lake would serve as a green carpet, prevent erosion and also add to aesthetics. The dry land around the lake has been landscaped with soft flowing mounds. In the next stage fine grade soil with manure, red earth and nutrients would be laid, according to an official involved in the project.

The water table in the area is about 20 feet and the amount of salinity is negligible.

There is about 3 or 4 feet of water now in the lake. Most of the debris from the bed of the creek has been removed.

A brackish water area will also be formed so that the seawater enters the creek. By nature creeks are spots where saline water and fresh water mix and have a very rich biodiversity, the official said.

Ideal picnic spot

For families visiting the waterbody, the place is turning an ideal picnic spot. Many first-time visitors to the Poonga such as Ramesh Babu felt that there was a need to create awareness of the facilities in the park, particularly the lake, which he described as something unique to Chennai.

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