Paruthipattu Lake, also known as Avadi Lake, is a lake in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is located in the
Avadi
Avadi () is a suburb of Chennai within Chennai Metropolitan Area limit, located in the Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is a municipal corporation west of Chennai, about from Chennai Central Railway Station. It is surrounded by majo ...
locality of Chennai. It is the second eco-park in the city after
Chetput Lake
Chetpet lake (Chethupattu Aeri) is a lake spread over 16 acres in Chetput, Chennai, India. It is located to the north of Chetpet railway station. It is the only existing lake at the centre of the city. The lake belongs to the Department of Fishe ...
.
History
The lake remained one of the neglected waterbodies in the western suburbs for long, shrinking to .
In 2018, the Water Resources Department restored the lake at a cost of 280 million in two phases, developing it into an eco-tourism spot. The lake eco-park was opened to public on 21 June 2019.
The renovation involved relocation of approximately 500 people.
Lake
Avadi Lake lies right behind the
Tamil Nadu Housing Board
Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) ( ta, தமிழ்நாடு வீட்டு வசதி வாரியம்) is a government organisation in Tamil Nadu, India.
History
Formed in 1947 as a small organisation in the name of "City Impr ...
(TNHB) and
Thirumullaivoyal
Thirumullaivoyal is a western neighbourhood of Chennai, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located in the Chennai Metropolitan Area in Tiruvallur district, from Ambattur. The neighbourhood is served by Thirumullaivoyal rai ...
. This lake is of length of 2.64 kilometers and covers an area of 8 acres before the restoration.
It is mostly known to have never dried up in many years. This lake has supposedly been a source of water for cultivation of farm lands long before. The water body attracts many birds during various seasons.
The lake is fed by surplus water from the unpolluted stretch of the
Cooum River
The Cooum river, or simply Koovam, is one of the shortest classified rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal. This river is about in length, flowing in the city of Chennai (urban part) and the rest in rural part. The river is highly polluted ...
.
The lake serves as a source for groundwater recharge in the neighbouring areas, such as Adhiparasakthi Nagar and Govardhanagiri.
The average depth is 12 feet.
However, in recent decades the lake has lost most of its area to indiscriminate building and encroachment. These are the major problems at present, since the water of the monsoon showers moves inside of the buildings as they are in the area of the lake.
Restoration
The eco-park surrounding the lake consists of a 3-km-long walking track, children's play area, refreshment block, a central plaza for public gathering, a boat deck with three landing areas, a couple of islands for nesting birds, an open-air theatre, an administration office building, and vehicle parking lot.
About 35 varieties of plants have been planted around the lake.
A sewage treatment plant has been built on the shore at a cost of 350 million to treat sewage from the Avadi municipality. The facility will pump 10 million litres of recycled water into the lake, besides selling an equal amount of water for industrial use.
See also
*
Water management in Chennai
The coastal city of Chennai has a metropolitan population of 10.6 million as per 2019 census. As the city lacks a perennial water source, catering the water requirements of the population has remained an arduous task. On 18 June 2019, the city's r ...
References
{{Hydrography of Chennai
Lakes of Chennai