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‘It’s our responsibility to save waterbodies’
Chitlapakkam Rising, a resident’s activist group has been spearheading a movement against encroachment of waterbodies. Sunil Jayaram, a member of the group, talks about why it is important to save waterbodies
Chennai
Why did you think it was important to focus on water bodies?
We found two issues were repeating — the flood impact and water scarcity. Chitlapakkam used to be a place replete with groundwater. Many years ago, when people dug the ground for laying the foundation, they immediately got water. However, now water has gone 150-200 feet deep. Waterbodies can recharge groundwater and drain floodwater
What is Chitlapakkam Rising’s focus?
The struggle to keep the lake intact was always there. Earlier, there were talks of closing the lake as no irrigation was being carried out. But the fight was renewed some five years ago. We are looking at recovering the waterbody that has shrunk to 40 acres. It is also a dumpyard and we want to put an end to sewage and drainage from entering the lake. The administration doesn’t penalise residents who lead the sewage into the lake from their homes. Even the groundwater has become polluted, as a result.
How has your movement inspired the rest?
We see several similar movements. There is a lot of activism in the Nanmangalam in Madambakkam area. We also draw ideas from these groups.
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