Unchecked encroachments and pollution are taking a severe toll on many lakes in the southern suburbs of Chennai, and the Perungalathur ‘periya eri' (big lake) is no exception.

Originally spread over 150 acres, the lake's expanse is now less than 100 acres, due to unchecked construction of unauthorised structures, according to officials at the Kancheepuram District unit of the Public Works Department (PWD). Officials said that encroachments around the lake, which had began to trickle in some decades ago, had now assumed enormous proportions.

Residents said State government agencies, especially rural and urban local bodies, abetted and expedited the decay of such precious water bodies, and this was a cause of great concern. They pointed to a storm water drain that runs along Third Cross Street in Tiruvalluvar Nagar, right into the lake. Used water and sewage from several hundred homes in at least four Wards of Perungalathur Town Panchayat drain into the lake at this point........Read More

Source: The Hindu