Retteri lake to store fresh water by next monsoon, supply drinking water

Retteri lake restoration project near completion, increasing storage capacity for fresh water supply in Chennai by next monsoon.

Retteri, one of the neglected water bodies in the city, will be able to store fresh water by the next monsoon and supply drinking water.

While the Water Resources Department (WRD) is expected to complete its ambitious restoration project by June, residents flag concerns about encroachments and sewage outfalls that prove a hindrance to comprehensive lake restoration.

The WRD noted that it has completed nearly 80% of the ₹43.19-crore project to rejuvenate the lake and increase the storage capacity from its existing 32 million cubic feet (mcft) to nearly 46 mcft.

“We have cleared 80% of the silt from the lakebed and used it to form three islands. The remaining of the total seven lakh cubic metre of silt estimated in the lake will be removed in two months,” said an official of WRD.

Spread over 400 acre, the lake is an important source of groundwater recharge and was identified as a buffer source for Chennai’s drinking water. In 2019 drought, water was pumped from this lake for the city’s drinking water supply. Chennai Metrowater has its infrastructure in place to pump and convey water to Kolathur treatment plant.

Residents wanted the work, especially desilting, to be expedited. D. Neelakannan, president, Tamil Nadu Alliance of Resident Welfare Associations and Madhavaram resident, said there must be transparency in the work being carried out and information board must be prominently displayed.

The rejuvenation efforts are not complete unless encroachments identified are cleared and sewage released through stormwater drains are plugged. One island could have been planned instead of three for additional storage, he said.