Porur lake: Crying for attention

One of the water bodies in the city that is used as a transit point in the city’s water supply system, Porur Lake, is crying for attention and could do with a good dose of cleaning.

Located beside the Mount-Poonamallee Road and with a flyover dividing it, the lake, spread over an area of around 200 acres, surprisingly makes for a picturesque view when viewed at a distance. Move closer and the harsh reality reveals itself.

For starters, it would seem that the lake is used as a dumpyard – garbage in heaps can be found in the adjacent vacant land – that of the shrunken lake – and as well as inside it. The vacant land that is used for grazing cattle, also serves as a open toilet to the people residing in the vicinity. When this reporter visited the lake, he saw a large herd of buffaloes being bathed in it.

All this in a water body that, along with other sources, meets the water needs of the city. Water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir and Veeranam lakes is pumped here before being distributed to the city.

The lake has also proved to be a hotspot for washermen who wash their clothes here. Manikkam, one such person said that while it may not be ideal for him to be washing clothes at the lake, says he does not know where to go otherwise. “This lake has been my lifeline and that too, only for a short time, as it may dry up during peak summer heat of May.”

The problems involving the lake could be multi-pronged. Sanitation, as pointed out by a few residents, is a mirage to nearby residents – especially from lower social strata – thereby forcing them to defecate near the lake. Imtiaz, a resident of Kunrathur road extension, says that for many people a trip to the lake in the mornings is a ritual.

Even the grazers have a bone to pick. “We do not know where to let our cattle graze,” says Muthukalai, who brings his cattle to the lake daily. “There aren’t any open spaces at all in the city.” Pigs, cows and sheep graze beside the lake.

Anti-social activities aren’t far behind, as some residents confessed. Come dusk, and tipplers make a beeline to the lake, thanks to the seclusion it provides, adds Imtiaz.

In fact, two men with their ‘stuff’ made a vain attempt to hide it, after he saw the camera of the photographer accompanying this reporter. Sarathy, a tea shop owner, attests to the lake morphing into a bordello during late hours, due to the same reason.

It is surprising that the lake lacks proper fencing and easy entry could be gained to it.

Officials from the Water Resources Department did not respond to City Express despite repeated attempts.