CHENNAI: An underground drainage system and a dedicated compost yard could be the only long lasting solutions to save the Madipakkam Lake, which is plagued by sewage water and litter for many years now, civic activists in the locality feel.If the sewage water is chocking the sprawling 62-acre water body, litter on the banks is marring its beauty, besides posing health hazards.While a section of the residents are dumping domestic garbage right on the lake’s bank, some use it for bathing and washing clothes. Even more badly, sewage is let into the water body through concealed pipelines at certain inlet points.The barbed wire fence put up many years ago as part of efforts to beautify the lake is of little use in halting the environment degrading practices.N L Sridhar, a resident of Sathsangam Street near the lake and convener of civic forum ‘Makkal Mandram’, said that storm water drains in certain localities were currently being abused as sewage drains.“Sewage from several residential localities, including parts of Sannadhi Street and Sabari Salai, is let into the lake besides waste water from storm water drains.” The only lasting solution to this menace could be the underground drainage system. Though the state government had already given approval for the scheme, it is yet to see the light of the day, Sridhar said.“All these years, we have been urging the local body to take steps to end this menace. We even took up the issue with top government officials, but nothing has happened. Drainage network can be the only solution,” he opined.As regards to garbage, several residents told City Express that they had ‘no other option’ but to dump garbage on the lake’s bank. The arrangement made by house owners for collection of garbage has not helped.“The garbage collector takes Rs 20 from each resident and disposes of the litter near the banks as there is no dedicated facility to dump it. The local body does not have a working system for collection and disposal of waste or for scientific incineration after category-wise segregation,” a Lake View Avenue resident said, requesting anonymity.V Rama Rao, treasurer of local Neer Exnora said the root of the issue could be traced to the absence of a dedicated compost yard. As a result, in most parts of Madipakkam, one could see litter on the streets and not just near the lake.“The local body does not have a dedicated site for proper disposal of the waste. Only if the much awaited integrated compost yard project at Venkatamangalam, near Vandalur comes up, this problem could be solved permanently,” he said. Although Madipakkam was not part of the proposed mega project originally, local bodies that did not have an exclusive yard were likely to be benefited, he added.Local officials were tight lipped about the whole issue and refused to speak when approached.
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