Sengulam lake improvement work draws flak

The cosmetic and structural improvement work carried out in and around the lakes in the city over the years had come under the environmentalists' sharp criticism. The Sengulam lake improvement work undertaken by the civic body has also joined the list, with the environmentalists saying the project would not help in conservation of water or protection of the water body. Rather, they say the work would only pose a challenge to the lake ecosystem.

According to the city corporation's plan, the Sengulam lake improvement project at Kuniyamuthur, to be done at a cost of Rs14.49 crore, will focus on three aspects - construction of a retaining wall, laying of a road along the bunds and installation of streetlights.

A corporation officer said the road along the bund would connect Kulathupalayam with Kuniyamuthur-Sundakamuthur road. "This will benefit the 720 families residing at the housing unit of the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board at Kulathupalayam and neighbouring areas such as Netaji Nagar and J J Nagar. The road, which will be 1.7 kilometres long, will serve as a major connecting road for more than 1,000 families and benefit at least 3000 people."

However, the environmental conservationists, including birdwatchers, have expressed concerns over the consequence of such a project along the lake bund. "This will certainly disturb the ecosystem of the lake," says G Prakash, a member of the Coimbatore Nature Society. The bunds are home to scores of insects and reptiles. The shrubs and trees on the bunds are also habitat for numerous birds, he says.

Gaja Mohan Raj, an independent birdwatcher, said both migrant and resident birds have not been spotted in the lake since the project work began. Migrant duck species like garganey, northern pintail and northern shoveler are quite often recorded at Sengulam lake during the reverse migration. "Ever since the construction work began, none of them have been sighted. Even the resident bird species like the Indian spot-billed duck and the lesser whistling duck have also not been spotted."

Terrestrial birds have lost their homes, as a few trees along the lake and adjacent land parcels have been axed. Those were nesting trees for many terrestrial bird species. According to data available with the eBird website that records bird species, the total recorded species at Sengulam is 185.

The road will also cause wetland pollution, as vehicle movement increases close to the lake, says the environmentalists.

They point out that after almost all the lakes in the city have lost their natural bund to development projects, Sengulam was the only one remaining untouched. If a concrete retaining wall is set up, waders and shorebirds will also disappear, they say. "The concrete retaining wall will act as a barrier for groundwater recharge,'' says G Prakash.

Corporation officials, however, pointed out that they were carrying out the development work without affecting the natural environment.