Work has been accelerated to improve Kovilpadagai lake near Avadi. The water body, which has larger storage capacity than Retteri, has the potential to be developed as a source of drinking water for Avadi and Chennai.

Spread over nearly 415 acre, the lake has a storage capacity of 80.52 million cubic feet of water. With surplus course lacking adequate capacity to convey floodwater, areas like Ganapathy Nagar, often face the risk of getting flooded. During heavy rainspell, traffic is affected in Avadi.

A project worth ₹38.30 lakh was launched recently by Avadi municipal corporation to construct weirs, deepen Kovilpadagai lake’s surplus course and link floodwater to major canal conveying water to Red Hills reservoir. Once the works are completed, 15 residential areas, including Ramakrishna Nagar, Ganapathy Avenue, Platinum Avenue and Sundararaja Perumal Koil Street, may have a respite from frequent flooding.

Sources in the Water Resources Department, which manages the water body, said the lake had double the storage capacity of Retteri lake, and is being improved as a drinking water source for Chennai.

The department is preparing a proposal for permanent solutions for flooding and improving the Kovilpadagai lake’s infrastructure. The lake has the potential to be filled twice a year with its own catchment area. It was one of the water bodies with minimal encroachments and pollution. Most of the water resource goes wasted as it remains untapped, sources said.

T. Sadagopan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre, said restoring large water bodies like Kovilpadagai lake would help recharge groundwater in the neighbourhood and manage floods. Avadi is one of the areas that recorded heavy amount of rainfall during the Northeast monsoon last year.

Sufficient funds need to be mobilised to restore many other water bodies like Thirunindravur lake and Vilinjiyambakkam lake to match the growing needs of Avadi and Chennai. Restoration of water bodies in peripheral areas is significant to reduce floods in the city, he said.