Even before residents can come to terms with the Madambakkam lake bed being dug up for wells, the children’s park in the locality is being used to build a sump.
The facility that was being utilised as a leisure spot all this while, has now turned into a storage space for construction material, mud and gravel, for the water project.
According to Madambakkam Town Panchayat officials, “Only about ten per cent of the park will be used for the construction of the sump. The rest of the space will be restored after the works are completed.”
The water-drawing project which is being carried out at a cost of Rs 3 crore, is expected to supply 18 lakh litres of water from the lake to Madambakkam and Chitlapakkam Town Panchayat.
Residents have, however, been objecting to this from the time of its commencement. They have been saying that sucking water from the lake will affect the water table in the area, which will, in turn, lead to a crisis during summer.
But officials state that only after the completion of the work, will they get an idea as to how much water can actually be tapped. Residents have been making several allegations against the Town Panchayat that there are many discrepancies in the project.
Locals are also angry that the heavy vehicles used to transport sand from the waterbody have damaged the roads making it difficult to use them especially when it rains.