CHENNAI, Tamil Nadu: The Water Resource Department in the southern state of Tamil Nadu has decided to use Thiruninravur Lake to provide drinking water to the Avadi and Chennai Municipal Corporation.
The decision has been taken considering the increasing demand for freshwater resources. Currently, Avadi Municipal Corporation gets a major portion of its water supply from the Chennai Metrowater and its groundwater resource.
Thiruninravur Lake, spanning over 349 hectares of area is one of the largest water bodies in the region. Earlier, the lake was plugged with silt for years. Apart from that, it was also facing sewage pollution and encroachments. Additionally, efforts are underway to use the local freshwater sources, like Porur, Retteri, and Ayanambakkam, to meet the growing water requirement of the city.
The Water Resource Department has proposed an amount of ₹100 crore project to prevent floods and increase the storage capacity of the Thiruninravur Lake. The department aimed to increase the storage capacity from 150 million cubic feet to 500 million cubic feet. Once the lake is fully restored it will serve as a robust source of recharge for groundwater and benefit numerous localities.