Improve surplus courses of lakes in Medavakkam to prevent floods, say residents

Residents of Medavakkam demanded that the surplus water channel of Sitheri, one of the minor lakes in the locality, be desilted and the missing links be bridged to reduce waterlogging and prevent sewage pollution through the storm-water drain (SWD) network.

Members of the Federation of SSJ Residents’ Welfare Association said about 500 households in Sri Sathya Sai Nagar, Jaya Nagar, and Surya Nagar faced the risk of inundation whenever the lake reaches its capacity.

C. Mathikumar, the association’s secretary, said the lake often faced the threat of breaching due to the absence of proper channel connectivity for surplus water to flow and drain into the Pallikaranai marshland. “Sitheri is already on the brink being full. The blocks in the surplus channel flowing through Thiruvalluvar Street must be removed,” he said.

Though temporary measures have been carried out to arrest overflow, the authorities must take permanent steps to prevent the risk of inundation, said residents. They also noted that untreated sewage is being discharged into the waterbody as the SWD network in the neighbourhood remained incomplete. They complained that pollution in the waterbody had affected groundwater quality in the surrounding localities.

Similarly, residents demanded that the channels bringing inflow into the Medavakkam Kaleri and its surplus channel be improved. Arjun Shankar of Medavakkam said the flow of surplus water from Kaleri to Sitheri — part of a chain of interconnected waterbodies — has been disrupted owing to several years’ worth of silt in the channel. This has also caused reverse flow of water contaminated with sewage into the Periya Eri, a lake located upstream.

Although the eco-restoration project of Kaleri was announced last year, the project is yet to take off. Authorities must chalk out schemes to rejuvenate the chain of waterbodies draining into the Pallikaranai marshland, Mr. Arjun said.

Officials of the Water Resources Department said work to improve the inlets and surplus course of Kaleri would be initiated after the northeast monsoon. Temporary measures would be implemented to provide relief from inundation during this season, they added.