Offering a ray of hope amidst dryness

S Vishnu Sharma, INN/Chennai, @Svs037 

Amidst a situation where prospects of seeing dry days are sending shivers among the residents of Chennai, there is still something that still offers a ray of hope. 

The talk is about Integral Coach Factory (ICF) lake. What makes this waterbody so different is the abundance of water in it. Most of the waterbodies in the big urban unit have almost gone dry, but this is brimming with water. 

Sources point out that the lake did not see bright prospects in a day’s time. A lot of effort about 18 months ago brought in bright prospects for the lake. Currently there is four feet deep water in the lake, occasionally we get to see birds from foreign countries, says a senior official from Integral Coach Factory (ICF).

The shores of the lake have been rid of dead trees, waste materials. Water of the lake too was made free of litter. Unauthorised drain that led to the lake was blocked, foul water coming from the residential localities nearby was diverted to a canal. The interlinking junction of the canal was provided with raised filters, sand barries so that solid waste entry could be stopped. 

Good deal of work to improve the lake took place during the tenure of S Mani as the general manager of ICF, say sources. Keen interest was shown to revive the waterbody during that time.

The lake has a long history, it is known to have been in existence since 19th century. Many nearby even say the waterbody’s existence predates even ICF. 

Initially the water used to be treated and supplied to the colonies nearby till 1950s for drinking. But that had to be stopped after the water got polluted. ICF lake is spread across 25 acres and has a depth of 24 feet and has a capacity of 8.5 lakh cubic metres of water. It measures about 1,500×900 feet on the surface.