(Image Source: TOI)
Chennai’s Porur Lake, a vital 200-acre drinking water source for the city, faces a unique and alarming form of encroachment. At least a dozen graves have been discovered on the lakebed, raising serious health concerns for residents.
The lake, which provides 6 million litres of water daily to areas including Kodambakkam, Alandur, and Valsaravakkam, has become a makeshift burial ground. While the number of interred bodies remains unknown, the visible tombs represent a significant threat to water quality.
Swaminathan T, a former scientist at the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, warns that burying bodies in lake beds can lead to groundwater contamination through decomposition. Although a gradual process, the potential for pollution is real and concerning.
The issue spans political jurisdictions. T M Anbarasan, minister for MSME and Tamil Nadu Urban Habitation Development Board, acknowledged that Iyappanthangal residents have been using the area for Christian burials. He stated that alternative land has been provided near Oil Mill Road, and plans are underway to cordon off the existing burial site and restore the lake.
Maduravoyal MLA K Ganapathy told TOI that the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) was preparing a ₹20 crore restoration project. This comprehensive plan includes constructing side walls and bunds, deepening the Porur Lake, planting trees, and creating recreational spaces.
The lake’s vulnerability to encroachment is partly due to the absence of proper bunds in many areas. Besides the graves, about 30 houses still occupy the lake-land despite efforts to remove illegal structures. A water resources department official, speaking anonymously to TOI, mentioned that over 100 houses had been cleared, but addressing the burial sites has met with local resistance.
Civic activist V Pughalventhan called on the Iyappanthangal panchayat to establish more official burial grounds and crematoriums to prevent further lake encroachment.
(With inputs from Times Of India)
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