The Water Resources Department of Tamil Nadu has proposed to make the Thiruninravur lake, a drinking water source for Avadi and Chennai.
The department has submitted a project proposal worth Rs 1 billion to the government of Tamil Nadu to augment the storage capacity of the Thiruninravur lake. The capacity would be increased from 150 million cubic feet (mcft) to 500 mcft. It is also planned that its spread area would be made cylindrical by desilting. Sewage outfalls to the lake would also be plugged. Moreover, the project targets to remove 3 million cubic meters of coarse soil from the lake and earn a revenue of around Rs 0.36 billion.
The lake is one of the largest waterbodies in Avadi’s western suburbs and spreads over 349 hectares. However, it has been polluted and encroached over the years. It is also silted up to a depth of 1.50 meters leading to floods in several low-lying areas like Periyar Nagar and Muthamizh Nagar.