In the public grievance meeting held on January 21 at the Coimbatore Corporation office, the members of the Athikadavu Kausika River Improvement Association and Chinna Vadamapatti Lake Protection Organization submitted a petition to Mayor K. Ranganayaki and Commissioner M. Sivakumar Prabhakaran.
The petition highlighted that Chinna Vadamapatti Lake is the only lake in the northern part of Coimbatore city where there is potential to store good quality water. Covering approximately 235 acres, efforts are underway to bring water from the Western Ghats to fill the lake. Additionally, during an election campaign, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin had mentioned plans to bring water from the Bhavani River to fill the lake.
The Chinna Vadamapatti Lake project was initiated to prevent flooding in the northern part of Coimbatore and to improve groundwater levels. The lake has been serving as a flood drain and water reservoir, protecting residential areas from floods, especially in the aftermath of natural disasters like cyclones and heavy rains, which affected areas from Kanuvai to Chinna Vadamapatti, Ganapathi, and Peelamedu.
In this context, the announcement that treated wastewater will be stored in Chinna Vadamapatti Lake, through sewage treatment plants operated by the Corporation, has raised concerns. Various political organizations, farmers’ associations, and citizens have been demanding the replenishment of the lake with clean water for many years. They have urged that the practice of mixing treated wastewater into the lake be stopped immediately.
