Reclaiming Porur Lake – Human Chain

Arappor Iyakkam integrated the citizens of Porur and organized a Human Chain to Reclaim Porur Lake, alongside the Porur Lake, covering the Mount Poonamalle Road from Porur Signal to Iyyapanthangal Signal near BSNL Telephone Exchange, today on 10th September 2017 between 4PM to 6PM.

Since the 2015 Floods, Arappor Iyakkam has been working to reclaim the lost water bodies across Chennai. In association with the local residents, Arappor Iyakkam has been conducting social audit in various water bodies and have been documenting and reporting the actual position of the lake to the concerned departments and the public.

“Solutions for Porur Lake” as observed from Arappor Iyakkam Social Audit.

1. Porur lake should be desilted to full capacity.

2. The temporary road below the bridge should be removed and the divided lake should be made as one.

3. The boundaries of the lakes should be marked and encroachments inside that boundary should be removed immediately. The shore is built only on one part of the lake. A strong shore should be built on the other side too. Trees should be planted on the shore.

4. The ‘Thandhi Canal’ connecting Chembarapakkam and Porur lakes should be desilted and encroachments along the canal should be removed immediately.
Draining sewage into Thanthi Canal should be stopped immediately.

5. The Surplus Water Canal that helps excess water to flow out of Porur lake has almost vanished. Construction of the new Surplus Water Canal is progressing at a very slow pace. The Canal is 10 feet wide in the beginning but gradually shrinks to 2 feet. Issues like these need to be resolved and the canal should be built with proper standards in war footing.

6. Vehicles, humans and animals entering the lake and polluting it should be stopped immediately.

7. Since it’s a lake within Chennai it should be converted to a lake for drinking water storage and water from this lake should be supplied to people of Chennai.

8. The advertisement boards and its pillars in the lake should be fully removed.

9. Special Security Squads comprising of general public and government should be formed for the protection of water bodies.

10. Walkway should be constructed along the shore of the lake. Also a natural garden should be built parallel to the walkway so that the aged, children and even ordinary people find the lake a beautiful refreshing place of recreation, peace and joy. Emphasizing the above demands, Arappor Iyakkam and the residents of Porur participated in the
Human Chain to reclaim Porur Lake.