Take initiatives to maintain Korattur lake, NGT tells many State depts

The Southern Bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Chennai Corporation and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to complete underground sewerage system in Ambattur and also provide sewage treatment plants (STPs) to treat liquid waste from discharging into Korattur lake.

The Korattur People’s Welfare and Awareness Trust petitioned NGT regarding the pollution caused at Korattur lake. The applicant stated that originally, the lake was 990 acres, receiving water through rainfall and from Ambattur lake. However, about 400 acres have already been lost, said the petitioner.

The application explained that 10 feet of the lake bund area has been encroached and about 2-3 feet of the bund has shrunk. With industries situated near the lake, the application pointed out to effluents such as lead, arsenic, mercury, iron and so on discharged into the lake.

Justice K Ramakrishnan and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati upon hearing the case disposed of the petition with a slew of directions to the concerned department.

The bench ordered the Avadi municipal commissioner to implement measures to prevent discharge of untreated sewage into Korattur lake, while taking steps to finalise the scheme for providing underground sewerage system.

The Water Resource Department (WRD) was directed to take all steps to maintain Korattur lake by ensuring frequent desilting and weed removal. It was also told to conduct survey along with Tiruvallur and Chennai collectors to inspect encroachments into the water body.

The WRD must provide necessary maintenance of storm water drains, inlet and outlet to the Korattur lake and also a surplus channel, which’d drain excess water from Ambattur lake to Korattur lake. If any encroachments are found, the party will be penalised, noted the bench.