Tue Jan 21 22:19:01 IST 2025: ## Avadi Lake Restoration Project Aims to Alleviate Flooding, Boost Chennai’s Water Supply
**CHENNAI, January 21, 2025** – A ₹38.30 lakh project to restore the Kovilpadagai lake near Avadi is underway, aiming to alleviate chronic flooding and provide an additional source of drinking water for Avadi and Chennai. The lake, spanning nearly 415 acres, boasts a storage capacity of 80.52 million cubic feet – double that of Retteri lake.
Currently, inadequate infrastructure leads to flooding in areas like Ganapathy Nagar during heavy rainfall. The project, launched by the Avadi municipal corporation, will involve constructing weirs, deepening the lake’s surplus course, and linking it to a major canal feeding the Red Hills reservoir. This is expected to provide flood relief to 15 residential areas.
The Water Resources Department, which manages the lake, is also preparing a proposal for permanent flood mitigation solutions and infrastructure improvements. The department highlights the lake’s relatively pristine condition, with minimal encroachment and pollution. However, much of its water currently goes untapped.
T. Sadagopan, president of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre, emphasized the importance of restoring large water bodies like Kovilpadagai to recharge groundwater and manage floods, particularly in areas like Avadi which experienced heavy rainfall last year. He urged for sufficient funding to restore other water bodies in the region to meet the growing needs of Avadi and Chennai, highlighting the crucial role of peripheral water body restoration in reducing city-wide flooding.
First Piper 