The lake is a freshwater source for the locality that heavily depends on groundwater for its needs
A vacant plot along the recently rejuvenated Thazhambur lake, off Rajiv Gandhi Salai, is being used as a dumping ground, residents of the area said.
Heaps of garbage dumped on the site along Karanai Road was often set on fire, residents said, adding that it posed a health hazard to them. Spread over 30.6 hectares, the Thazhambur lake is a freshwater source for the locality that heavily depends on groundwater for its needs.
The waterbody can now store up to 22 million cubic feet of water after the restoration efforts of Care Earth Trust, a city-based biodiversity research organisation, with funding from Hinduja Leyland Finance.
Kannan Sethuraman, a resident of Thazhambur, noted that the size of the garbage dump had been increasing for the past four years and hospital waste, too, was often dumped there. Thick smoke emanating from the fire engulfed the area and often caused…