Chennai: Once silted up and losing its capacity to hold rainwater, Kadapakkam Lake in Manali has been restored to retain more floodwater and support biodiversity. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has completed work on the lake, in one of the city’s largest ecosystem restoration projects. Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is likely to open the restored lake to the public on Monday.The project, undertaken at an estimated cost of ₹58.31 crore with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and an additional grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is intended to improve floodwater retention, support groundwater recharge and revive biodiversity.Spread across 55 hectares, the lake’s water-holding capacity has increased from 1.19 million cubic metres to 1.90 million cubic metres following desilting. Around seven lakh cubic metres of silt was removed as part of the restoration. The project also involved strengthening 2.5km of the lake bund, rejuvenating inlet and outlet channels, and restoring four sluices and two surplus weirs to facilitate water flow to downstream agricultural areas.The restored lake features a butterfly park, a two-hectare bird island planted with native trees, a children’s play area, an open-air theatre, a library and walking paths. A biodiversity survey conducted before the restoration identified more than 30 species of butterflies and 14 species of dragonflies and damselflies, which serve as indicators of ecosystem health.Voice of North Chennai Residents Welfare Association president Shanmugam Kottiswari said restoring Kadapakkam Lake was important for both flood mitigation and water security. “Flood mitigation does not mean diverting every drop of rainwater into drains, which eventually carry it into the sea through the Buckingham Canal. Rainwater should be stored in lakes, which will benefit the city and help prevent flooding. The corporation should also ensure that the lake is maintained properly,” she said.GCC deputy commissioner (works) S Saravanan said the corporation had also undertaken infrastructure development and beautification projects worth ₹200 crore, including improvements to the airport corridor and major flyovers such as Mahalingapuram and Anna Flyover. “Necessary action is taken to remove encroachments in these areas,” he said.
