Chennai: Residents are a pleased lot as ponds and lakes in the neighbourhood of Ambattur are being desilted and renovated at record pace.
However, they also claim that canals that link large reservoirs with the smaller waterbodies have been encroached.
“Because of this the large reservoirs do not feed the smaller ones and they dry up. Somehow such ponds become OSR land in some places and are used up for recreational purposes. We need to stop that and reclaim the waterbodies and canals. Both are integral part of the system and cannot survive without one another. Encroachers, be it the rich or the poor must be penalised,” said Gowtham, a student.