Improvement works at Sholinganallur lake

Sholinganallur lake is under Greater Chennai Corporation’s watch, and the civic body is now sprucing up the waterbody divesting it of water hyacinth and carrying out a deweeding exercise on an afforested bund. The images were taken on November 22, 2024. | Photo Credit: PRINCE FREDERICK

The Sholinganallur lake opposite Infosys on Old Mahabalipuram Road is under Greater Chennai Corporation’s watch, and the civic body is now carrying out improvement works at the waterbody.

B. Rajasekar, zonal officer, Zone 15, says, “The exercise being carried out on the instructions of GCC Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran and GCC’s Regional Deputy Commissioner — South M.P. Amith, is primarily focussed on increasing the lake’s storage capacity. A walker’s pathway will be constructed around the perimeter of the lake. The island in the lake meant to promote biodiversity will be improved upon.”

An amphibian machine is now seen parked at the lake. The lake was carpeted with water hyacinth, which has been removed.

Long ago, tree plantation efforts had been initiated on one side of the lake. This patch with grown trees is now being spruced up, weeds and other unwanted vegetation being taken out of the equation.

The lake has a rich avian life and there has been documentation of how the bronze-winged jacana used it as one of the waterbodies with which to stage its “comeback” in Chennai. Now, the bronze-winged jacana has become a common sight, being found around almost every waterbody in and around Chennai.

The whistling ducks (the lesser and the fulvous) have also had this lake as their local address at various points of time.

During winter, whiskered terns can be seen flying about circling the lake with nervous excitement. The only image of avians attached with this report shows two whiskered terns around a stump of a perch at the lake. Improving the island at the lake should increase avian traffic.

Published – November 23, 2024 11:06 pm IST