Chetput Lake
Encyclopedia
Chetput lake is a lake spread over 15 acres in Chetput, Chennai
, India
. It is located to the north of Chetput Railway Station. It is the only existing lake at the centre of the city.
Of the total area of the lake, the waterbody is spread across nearly 9 acres. An anglers club was functioning till the 1940s in the lake, whose members visited the small island in the midst of the waterbody for fishing.
Although not used for drinking purposes, the lake was a source of groundwater recharge for the surrounding areas. As the water quality is not saline
, the lake has a few varieties of fishes such as rohu
, catla
and mrigal
. Breeding is monitored to assess the water quality.
In recent years, the lake has been heavily encroached upon, particularly near the Chetpet railway station. There have been many plans to rejuvenate Chetpet lake since the mid-1990s, including developing a boat club, an aquarium, seafood stall and fish court besides a walkway around the waterbody. The last attempt to save the lake was in 2005, when the state environment department identified it along with 12 other lakes of Greater Chennai area for an eco-restoration project. The CPR Environmental Education Centre conducted a detailed survey, and based on that, the state government appointed the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Finance Services Limited to prepare a project report. The State government had sanctioned 4 million to clean the overgrown water hyacinth
and desilt the lake in 2007-2008.
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is located to the north of Chetput Railway Station. It is the only existing lake at the centre of the city.
Of the total area of the lake, the waterbody is spread across nearly 9 acres. An anglers club was functioning till the 1940s in the lake, whose members visited the small island in the midst of the waterbody for fishing.
Although not used for drinking purposes, the lake was a source of groundwater recharge for the surrounding areas. As the water quality is not saline
Saline
Saline may refer to:* Salinity, the salt content of a solution** Saline water, water containing significant concentration of salts* Soil salinity, salt content of soil* Saline , a liquid with salt content to match the human body...
, the lake has a few varieties of fishes such as rohu
Rohu
Rohi or Rohu is a fish of the carp family Cyprinidae, found commonly in rivers and freshwater lakes in and around South Asia and South-East Asia. It is a herbivore. It is treated as a delicacy in Bangladesh, Nepal and the Indian states of Orissa, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh...
, catla
Catla
Catla catla, , also known as Indian Carp, is the only member of the genus Catla, of the carp family Cyprinidae. It is a fish with a large protruding lower jaw. It is commonly found in rivers and freshwater lakes in India , Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan...
and mrigal
Mrigal
The Mrigal carp , also known as Indian Carp, is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Cirrhinus. Native to the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers of the Indian Subcontinent, it is extensively aquafarmed, with 463,520 t harvested in 2008....
. Breeding is monitored to assess the water quality.
In recent years, the lake has been heavily encroached upon, particularly near the Chetpet railway station. There have been many plans to rejuvenate Chetpet lake since the mid-1990s, including developing a boat club, an aquarium, seafood stall and fish court besides a walkway around the waterbody. The last attempt to save the lake was in 2005, when the state environment department identified it along with 12 other lakes of Greater Chennai area for an eco-restoration project. The CPR Environmental Education Centre conducted a detailed survey, and based on that, the state government appointed the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Finance Services Limited to prepare a project report. The State government had sanctioned 4 million to clean the overgrown water hyacinth
Water hyacinth
The seven species of water hyacinth comprise the genus Eichhornia. Water hyacinth are a free-floating perennial aquatic plant native to tropical and sub-tropical South America. With broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 meter in...
and desilt the lake in 2007-2008.