Mosquito menace unabated in area around Korattur lake

Chennai: Multiplication of chironomus at Korattur lake would have been temporarily arrested, but is the clog in the source body, the 1.8-acre land belonging to Padalathri Seeyathaman temple, behind the lake cleared? The answer is a big no. Encroachments at the canal have restricted the flow of excess water from the temple land, which has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and chironomus.

Besides sewage, it is the stench of the negligent governance that has put the lives of Korattur residents in disorder and sufferance.  Various promises by the government officials that include, filling up the low-lying land with sand or constructing a park as a permanent measure and removing the encroachment have not commenced, even after the locality recently had a nuisance of chironomus insect.

The stagnation affects the quality of life of over 100 families living in the vicinity of the temple land, belonging to HR & CE department.  Venting out the anguish, a resident, J. Ganesh,  said that he is frustrated with the official apathy. “They had released the ducks to tackle the chironomous insect and ignored the permanent measure of clearing the stagnation here. We do not have the luxury of opening our doors and windows, as mosquito population is extremely high,” J. Ganesh told Deccan Chronicle.

He has stepped into many offices, Ambattur zonal office, public works department, secretary of municipal administration and mailed to Tiruvallur district administration and Chief Minister Cell – to sort out the perennial problem. But, his efforts received no action. “Who asked you to build your house here? Sell it and shift to a decent locality,” a corporation official allegedly told Ganesh last year.

The 19-feet wide Korattur canal is non-existent, as locals had encroached on it to construct houses. The encroachment, which started as small huts, has emerged as pucca structures, say, residents, who lamented that the stagnation has contaminated the groundwater. “Our lives become worse during rains. When my father-in-law died last year, our houses were inundated. We faced a pathetic situation in performing the last rites in the flood,” said N. Bhuvaneswari, a housewife, requesting the officials to increase the levels at the temple land, to prevent flooding.