ARIYALUR: Ariyalur district officials celebrated World Water Day by starting work on the renovation of a lake that had been encroached on by villagers of Thandalai on Wednesday. The efforts to revive the worn-out water body will go a long way in easing the water crisis this summer. Mangalam lake in Thandlai village, spread across 6.35 hectares, will be a new landmark, after the district administration completes the renovation work within the scheduled five days. Many of the villagers don't even know that this lake exists because of the encroachment.The inundation of the habitats downstream after the Chennai flood in 2016, prompted the Ariyalur district administration to investigate the reason behind the incident.The probe brought to light the encroachment of the lake by 16 people in the area.Sixteen farmers of Thandalai had encroached on 3.95 hectares of the total 6.35 hectares for many years now. "The encroachment came to light in September 2016. We gave them two months to vacate the area on their own. They agreed and we recovered the lake," said district collector of Ariyalur A Saravanavelraj. The farmers had utilized the encroached land for cultivating maize and cotton.Because of the cultivation, the lake looked more like agricultural land. To revamp the lake and give it a new look, the district administration sought sponsorship from locals who agreed to provide earth movers and manpower. Higher officials from Chennai suggested that the renovation work start on the World Water Day (March 22), to highlight the importance of conserving water."We will deepen the lake by three to four meters. The bunds will be formed in four directions," said the collector.The storage of rain water in the Mangalam lake would help around 400 farmers in Mangalam, Vadaveekkam, Kalladhoor and Thandalai villages.

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